Urban Greening Workshop in Tokyo

MLA students taking the class LA5303 (Urban Greening: Technologies and Techniques) visited Tokyo as part of a short-term exchange programme with Chiba University during the recess week. This year, NUS MLA students worked with Chiba University’s Landscape Architecture Department in the Graduate School of Horticulture, and landscape architecture students from Tsinghua University. Over the 10-day visit, students from the three universities worked on a small design project for landscape in Kashiwanoha Smart City. The overall context is that while technologies have made Kashiwanoha Smart City more sustainable and prepared for natural disasters, the landscapes seem to be under-emphasized in the overall strategic development of the city.

The workshop requires students to analyse and demonstrate through landscape planning and design, ways in which landscapes can be aligned to the overall developmental objectives of the smart city, covering themes such as health and well-being, ecological enhancement, urban biodiversity, culture and identity, etc. The workshop culminated in a presentation with guest visitors from Kajima Corporation and Politechnico di Torino. In addition to the design project, students also attended a guided site visit by the landscape architect involved in the greenery planning and design of the city. There were also lectures from our industry guest visitor, and professors from Tsinghua and NUS. The trip also included site visits to notable greening projects in Tokyo, experimental and commercial plant factories in Chiba University, urban parks, and traditional Japanese Gardens.