PRESS CONFERENCE
Tokyo's Lost Urban Spaces
Riken Yamamoto, Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate
13:00-14:00 Thursday, January 15, 2025
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.
The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan invites members of the press to a briefing by award-winning architect Riken Yamamoto on how Tokyo's wave of redevelopment could threaten the city's long-term vitality.
Yamamoto has sounded the alarm about the mega-developments in Tokyo and other Japanese cities, which are transforming the urban environments by replacing distinct and distinctive neighborhoods with a bland and uniform space. These large-scale projects, which prioritize short-term economic interests, often overlook the social foundation of urban life—namely, a sense of community and public space. As a result, the human relationships that sustain cities can weaken, placing their long-term futures at risk, he says.
Yamamoto believes cities should be thought of not simply as physical environments, but as social structures formed and maintained through everyday human interaction. He will focus primarily on Tokyo and Japan, but he will also describe an initiative in Caracas, Venezuela -- very much in the news these days -- that will illustrate how community-based practices can create more sustainable urban futures.
Yamamoto studied architecture at Nihon University and Tokyo University of the Arts and founded Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop Co. in 1973. Over more than five decades, he has designed distinctive buildings and urban plans that can be found worldwide. Two years ago, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often called the Nobel Prize of architecture, for a body of work that is both "background and foreground to everyday life, blurring boundaries between its public and private dimensions, and multiplying opportunities for people to meet spontaneously."
Come join us to hear one of Japan's most celebrated architects talk about the massive changes in Tokyo's urban landscape, and how these can be improved.
How to attend:
Please register by emailing front@fccj.or.jp with your name and the name of your media outlet. FCCJ members should also include their membership number. Doors will open 15 minutes before the event.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/Cv1QGEWjVd7PhzKR9
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.
Professional Activities Committee