Under the supervision of Anja Beniko-Lorenz, researcher at the WISSENSARCHITEKTUR Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture, the U_CODE team in cooperation with Japanese architect Yasumasa Hayashi conducted a co-creative design workshop with citizens of Akitsu, a coastal city in Hiroshima prefecture in Japan. The workshop was conducted within the framework of the cooperation projects “INTEGER - Intelligent Technologies for Secure and Resilient Cities and Societies” (funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research 2018-2021) and the TU Dresden-Waseda University cooperation project “PRO_URBAN - Preparation and Basic Investigations for a Bi-National Research Consort on Urban Co-design in Europe and Japan” (funded by DAAD German Academic Exchange Service 2019 - 2021). The co-creation workshop on February 5, 2022 invited local people to (co-)design their own city and to create awareness that citizens can contribute and change to urban development issues. As results, a number of design and development proposals were created that shall strengthen the spatial qualities of Akitsu, suggest ideas for smooth touristic development, and a general urban upgrading of the local neighbourhoods. The proposals covered a range from interior building design (e.g. of coffee shops) to larger spatial development, including the entire scenic harbor area of the city. The initial online workshop was a first step towards a continuous effort towards direct citizen engagement and participation; onsite face-to-face workshop are scheduled to follow in Akitsu City.

Web Link U_CODE Spinoff: https://urban-codesign.com/