Repairing the Town

As part of our work at a design firm, we have started an activity called “repairing the town.
It is an effort to reevaluate the town in which we live from a reflective perspective, and to gradually rearrange the small parts of the town by putting in touches so that it can continue to be used comfortably.
A bench to sit on during a walk, a book post where one can exchange books, a field where one can participate in the care of crops, and a schoolyard that serves as a base for community activities. Each of these may seem trivial, but as more and more things are added to the town that I can be a part of, the idea of living together in the town, beyond the house itself, begins to brew.
The town is managed by the government, and we pay taxes to receive its services. If there is a problem, we call the government and wait for them to come. If that is the case, are we going to live without being able to exert any effect on the town, the place where we live? Will we receive the town as if it were a service?
This is an effort to continuously accumulate small gestures, just like applying fabric to a tear and patching it up with layers of thread, in order to make the modern town, built for survival and consumption based on a growth model, a place that supports a rich life for human beings.

Exhibits
Curtains:
Curtains for the shared office in Ichibankan. From left to right: a photo of the exterior of the MIAMIA coffee shop, a photo of the exterior of Ichibankan, and a printed map of the town’s repair projects. It shows how the projects are scattered within an area of about 1 km.

Project List:
Summary of projects numbered in the map. A bench to sit on during a walk, a book post where people can exchange books, a field where people can participate in the care of crops, and a schoolyard that serves as a center for community activities. Each of these may seem insignificant, but as more and more things are added to the town that you can be a part of, the idea of living together in the town, beyond the house itself, begins to brew.

Tool Cart:
A compact cart filled with the tools city dwellers need to care for their town and make it their own place.
A necessity for town upkeep, it can be created by anyone by bricolaging and customizing items available at home improvement stores or online.

Book Post:
Usually in operation in the front yard of the first building. It is a simple mechanism to put in a book you want someone to read, or to take a book you like, or to do either (or both).