Landscape

Our topic this time is landscapes.

Landscape design is a key element of urban planning, touching everything from parks to streetside greenery.

New evolutions in the field showcase local geography, and find ways to connect people with nature.

Explore a world of new landscapes - a dialogue between the natural world and the forms we create.

Today we're visiting the Tokyo suburb of Machida.

The region's rolling hills and colorful mixed forests go by the name Shikisai no Mori.

It's home to a historic park styled like a Japanese garden, and many places to view seasonal flora and fauna.

In 2020, a new park and multi-purpose complex was built in an effort to connect and raise the profile of the Shikisai no Mori area.

Shaula has come to visit the park.

Hello.

- Hi.
- Hello!

Her guides today are Ishii and Noda.

They both worked on the park's landscape design.

I've only just arrived but it already feels like such an exciting place.

It's much more than a park, right?

Yes, this is just the entrance, with shops and restaurants.

This leads to a huge park beyond.

I see.

It's a little overcast today, but it still has quite an atmosphere, doesn't it?

That's partly all the new foliage.

It often feels brighter.

That's true.

So where does landscape design come into all of this?

A landscape isn't something that you create from scratch.

You have to look at what's already there.

Like, you can just rearrange it a little to create a good flow.

Take this area here.

One key factor is the local geography.

Machida's hills are very appealing on their own.

That's something we wanted to showcase in this park.

We left elevation gaps of up to 20 meters.

You left them as they were.

That formed the base of our design, yes.

It takes so little to destroy, but we wanted our design to incorporate them.

Having that choice is one of the appealing aspects of landscape design.

It's also one of the difficulties!

I'm sure.

Hagino came up with the concept for the park, while Ishii and Noda worked with Yamada for the basic design.

Both wanted to respect the original geography.

This area forms a kind of
natural hollow, like a valley.

It doesn't feel like Tokyo, does it?

We wanted visitors to feel this.
So that informed our design.

I wanted to connect this landscape.

It didn't seem right
to only see buildings here.

They should be almost invisible.

I saw the buildings, trees, and
geography as equal elements.

Layering several small buildings among the trees and paths creates a design perfectly suited to the local village landscape.

Slopes can be very difficult to work with.

We often talk about "nurturing inconvenience."

Providing surfaces at different heights and levels can give rise to new opportunities.

Perhaps someone has bought a snack inside.

If they come out and there are these different levels, they might be tempted to sit and enjoy it.

It was important to us that there was always a sense of other people throughout the space.

Walking along here, I feel like it's a very natural progression.

Do you think that's because you kept the original landscape in mind?

I think so.

There were never any actual roads here.

There were only animal trails, or farming tracks.

When we first saw this huge plot of land, I was determined to keep the sweep of the slopes.

But we also wanted to preserve the parts where there were traces of human activity.

That was a big part of our design.

I see.

There are so many beautiful trees in this area.

We planted over ten thousand trees here.

Over ten thousand?

New trees.

We mainly planted deciduous trees in this area, to match the local forests.

Many professional landscapers worked hard to bring them back.

Wow.

Let's follow this gentle slope all the way to the top.

Alright, I'm in your hands.

Wow, just look at all the green!

Yes.

We spent a lot of time on this particular path.

It's a very gentle slope, designed not to need handrails.

No need for handrails?

There are a lot of rules and regulations about these things in parks.

So we chose an upward angle that's under the minimum requirement for a rail.

Try crouching down a little.

If you imagine a handrail here, you can see that it would really change your view of the landscape.

Especially for those in wheelchairs, or young kids.

Without the handrails, they have an uninterrupted view.

It does feel very different, doesn't it?

It's a major difference.

So we chose a very gentle slope with no handrails so anyone walking here can enjoy the same views.

It seemed like genuine equal access for all our visitors.

That makes sense.

Ah there's benches if you need a rest.

Yes.

You built these in.

A little break in the shade of the trees.

Once the surrounding trees grow larger, they'll admit shafts of sunlight.

We designed the bench pattern to look as if that is already happening.

It looks like dappled sunlight.

Ah, that's such a lovely idea!

We want to see the designs we create work seamlessly in a natural setting.

And watch how they change over time.

I love the idea that all this will keep growing.

The design's not finished.

It's very important to us that our designs are going to be inherited by a new team.

We're not going to be a permanent part of this project.

How we do that is going to become a key issue.

Oh, take a look!

We're so far up!

Yes, you turn around and suddenly see how far you've come.

You can look down and see the path you've climbed.

But unless someone told you, I don't think you would know that there is a road that continues up the slope.

This is something we did so that visitors could simply enjoy the atmosphere of this sloping greenery.

I see.

You might catch a glimpse of other visitors through the branches.

Just a flash.

So you know there's a way up.

They're part of the atmosphere.

Exactly.

That's it.

- And this is where we come out.
- Yes.

OK.

A gentle climb to a grassy square.

From a closed path to an open space.

We want people to really experience how different those sensations feel.

The grassy area is used for live perofrmances and all kinds of other events.

The gentle slope is designed to accommodate rainwater.

There are small rises, instead of large-scale groundworks.

This breaks up any rain, and helps the soil absorb it.

We designed the curves to accommodate the rain, but they also provide an opportunity for kids to sit down, or others to enjoy the sunset.

It's an inviting area.

Sometimes there will be kids simply rolling down the grass.

These slopes alone are enough to create a lovely place for families to enjoy.

We're pretty high up now.

Yes, this is the highest spot.

Oh wow...

This is amazing!

This took our breath away on our first visit.

All that green.

- Beautiful.
- Isn't it?

What a view!

Yes.

We worked on the design for the area up to this path at the end here.

Ah, I see.

And from here it joins up with a pre-existing park.

There's a farm.

A farm, really?

Yes, it lies just beyond the valley forest.

You can see a little.

They grow vegetables, and there are plans for a restaurant.

A place to eat produce fresh from the farm.

Yes, it's a complete cycle.

They use these leaves for fertilizer, and you can see the soil they use in their fields.

This grove of trees is part of the farming cycle.

We have been working closely with the managers.

It's so important that our parks have this kind of long-term relationship.

It should be built with the local authorities and residents.

Ideally spaces like this will nurture and maintain a network of relationships over decades.

Now let's take a look at urban landscape design.

Tokyo's Shimokitazawa is a hub for subcultures, attracting unique stores and people.

In 2018, the train station was moved underground, and the former train tracks were redeveloped.

The tracks stretch 1.7 kilometers to the stations on either side of Shimokitazawa.

Greenery that the neighborhood lacked was planted, and many new facilities are being opened, including new commercial areas and even a hot-springs inn.

Mishima Yoshiki was behind the landscape design of this new area.

His concept was "city groves," a place for people and plants.

What is the purpose of a grove
of trees in the city?

Are the trees planted
to be seen or to be used?

We want to give locals a reason
to get involved with their environment.

He worked on the landscape design for this public space himself.

Events can be held here and there are cafe stands.

It's a place for people of all ages to enjoy themselves.

Many city squares have greenery
that you're not allowed to touch.

That's no fun.

These here are fruit trees.
A lot has been picked by the kids!

But the lemons and oranges
are there for everyone.

I want folks to enjoy the fruit,
even in the city.

Mishima's landscape offers more than a pretty, relaxing view.

It provides a sense of ownership to nearby residents.

Locals always say that
Shimokitazawa has very little green.

But there are actually a lot of
little patches on the streets.

They're teeming with love because
they're grown by green-loving residents.

They're more than their appearance.

I can feel the people behind them,
their love and care.

There's a real human presence.

If this green vanished, we'd lose
that human presence.

Mishima launched a new project to spread the love that stems from this local greenery.

The Shimokita Urban Horticulture Community welcomes locals and volunteers of all ages.

Professional gardeners and landscapers offer coaching to help the members take charge of the greenery along the new area.

The community manages this shopping arcade.

The key is to flexibly adapt to the plants as they grow.

Take this path here. Normally you'd
trim the bushes right back.

But what's wrong with
letting them grow out?

We try to nurture the plants,
rather than manage them.

That's something for the residents
can do themselves.

This spring, a new area was completed by the station, and the community is ready to get to work.

They will plant saplings, grow plants from seeds, and cultivate a new life cycle alongside locals.

Today, the group has gathered to work on the new community center.

Looks good!

Yeah?

It's really fun to look at plants
I pass every day on the street.

"Oh, I planted that!, " "I pruned
that, " or "I built that fence!"

Of course we could get
professionals to do the work.

But by doing it ourselves,
we truly make it our own.

We want our designs to link
the landscape to the city.

Building a foundation for people to get
involved is a key element of landscaping.

What do you think of Mishima-san's work?

It really helps you feel the neighborhood's inclusive atmosphere, I think.

People develop a real attachment to the greenery they pass every day because they've helped care for it.

I think it's a fascinating approach.

I really loved the idea of being able to pick your own fruit from your local green space.

Yes, it feels like you're sharing the space.

That sense of community is something that people are becoming more conscious of.

He spoke about there being a human presence.

I feel the heart of his work is an understanding that people are looking for connection.

Right, it's about more than greenery.

It's interesting that both we and Mishima-san are thinking so much about trees.

Specifically, about groves.

When we talk about woods, we often mean somewhere wild, that remains wholly part of the natural ecosystem.

A grove of trees, however, is managed and cultivated.

It's an interesting connection.

I know your studio has also worked on a similar community-based project.

That's right, in Ishinomaki up in Miyagi prefecture.

In fact, this is something we were involved with shortly after we established our studio.

The project was all about residents creating new spaces for themselves.

Ishii and Noda got their start through a project in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.

400 families displaced by the Great East Japan earthquake gathered to begin rebuilding in a valley town.

Locals adapted a barn, building a cafe and library as a space to interact with the new residents.

Locals would come together to their own community spaces.

We learned to pave stones alongside the residents, and at the festival to celebrate its completion they held a lion dance.

Those events were something they were personally involved with.

We were often unable to visit the site, but while we came up with the designs, in our absence, the locals thought about what they could bring to the table themselves.

They really took the lead on the whole project.

I think we both learned a lot from the process.

A few years later, we got involved when they wanted to build a study space and a public square.

We've stayed part of the project, and I'm sure it will continue.

Watching them build that space over time, and watching the network of people grow and grow was wonderful.

It felt very hopeful.

Did your perspective and approach change after that project?

Oh, absolutely.

I studied in the Netherlands for a while and learned about landscape urbanism.

It's a more city-focused approach to landscape design.

I saw a very strong need for a closer relationship with people.

It seemed like such an important part of the puzzle.

So that was something of a revelation for me at the time.

I do feel that we're building a kind of foundation.

An open and welcoming space that allows people to reflect on how they feel about both their community and their land.

Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

This beloved park on a hill by the coast houses a memorial to those who died in war.

It's cherished as a place that promotes peace.

It was redeveloped in 2021.

The monument was starting to show its age, so a new peace monument was erected in its place.

Designer Takahashi doesn't want his work to be static.

He hopes it can become part of the local landscape.

Monuments are a little removed
from our daily lives.

But as part of the landscape
they become familiar and loved.

I wanted to shape a new landscape
that reminds us of peace.

The key motif is a circle, a shape that has long symbolized peace and eternity.

The word "peace" covers the curved column in many languages.

The ring above is pierced with countless holes so that sunlight can filter through to create a dappled effect.

Takahashi wanted the spatial design to express the concept of peace.

The monument also speaks to the past.

The area around the park once housed cannons, which took advantage of the excellent sight lines.

The shape of these turret ruins is reflected in the new design.

To ensure memories of the past don't fade, locals were invited to help with the monument's design.

Circles drawn by the people of Yokosuka were scattered by the sea breeze to create patterns for the monument.

If you look closely, the holes all
have slightly odd shapes.

People can search for the one
they might have drawn.

We were collecting circles but many
people also wrote about peace.

I had originally thought peace was
mostly about an absence of war.

But people also wrote about ending
the pandemic, or about nature.

This project reminded me that we all
have our own ideas about peace.

After sunset, the monument is illuminated, and projects a pillar of light into the night sky.

It's possible to add color to the light.

It currently shows the colors of the Ukrainian flag, expressing a hope for a swift end to the current invasion.

Light also spills from the central column, filling the space with words of peace.

These pinpricks of light form part of the city's landscape, blending seamlessly with the lights of nearby homes.

It's visible across the neighborhood, and acts as a beacon for the park, which also serves as a disaster evacuation point.

A new city landscape that calls for a peaceful future.

My grandmother actually lives near that park.

Oh, really?

Yes, I often visited the park as a kid.

You must have a lot of memories.

How wonderful that such a meaningful monument has been built there.

That feels very right.

Right now, there's so much happening in the world that's causing us to reevaluate our own ideas of peace.

I'd like to ask you, what do you think of the connection between those kinds of memories and landscapes?

We always research local history as part of our process.

Sometimes it'll be written history, but we also talk to taxi drivers and other people on our visits.

We ask them to tell us about the place we're working in.

It's not necessarily about some epic historical moment.

Just local events that residents still remember.

We always go over that when we're designing a landscape.

So, what kind of landscape designs are you hoping to create in the future?

I want to do more projects like this park, places that people can enjoy on an everyday basis.

Not just houses, but outside spaces that are relaxing and also offer the chance to explore and discover.

I feel as though landscapes form some of our earliest memories.

I touched on it earlier, but landscaping is a neverending task.

It's a dialogue between people and the natural world, and between different people.

That concept is a major theme for me, so I hope to bring that idea to all my future projects.

I've had a really wonderful day here!

Thank you.

I'd love to come back when the weather's nice!

Thank you.

Thank you very much.