Tokyo has a long history dealing with water in the urban landscape. As early as the 6th century, canals have been dug for transport and drainage. Japanese people lived in a harmonious balance with the coastal landscape. This principle is called satoumi, ‘sato’ means people living and ‘umi’ means coastal landscape and describes a productive relationship where humans and nature benefit from the landscape. Due to heavy urbanisation, this principle has been forgotten, and Tokyo has implemented engineering solutions for their flooding problems, such as placing tetrapods in front of the coast, and reclaiming land for industry. By blocking natural processes, the risk of flooding only increased, especially in times of climate change. By studying precedence, such as case studies, this project aims to explore a design solution, using a landscape-based approach. Principles will be derived from literature research, and implemented into context by research through design, an iterative process. One strategy that emerges from this approach is the stimulation of sedimentation and erosion as a means of coastal protection. By allowing sediment to accumulate in certain areas and erode in others, we can create softer edges along the coastline that not only provide natural habitat for flora and fauna but also act as a buffer against wave energy. These places can provide opportunities for human activities such as seaweed farming, revitalising the principle of satoumi into the landscape. In the riverine landscape, softer edges mean a diversity in flow and a gradient for ecology to thrive. Humans and nature can share the landscape, there is no need for a hard border if both are treated with respect. In the urban landscape, cultural quality is increased by respecting the border of the land reclamation, visible in the urban fabric. This will be emphasized by Japanese garden elements, respecting the traditional values of Japan. It’s essential to recognize that the landscape is not something to be dominated and controlled by humans but rather a complex system that we can learn from and collaborate with. By embracing the principles of landscape-based design, which prioritize multifunctionality and the integration of human and natural processes, we can create landscapes that are not only resilient to environmental challenges but also rich in cultural and ecological significance.
This project can be an example on working with climate adaptation, cultural qualities, and ecological importance. Even so, I hope this project can be an inspiration to future generations, on how landscape can provide us the tools for a sustainable future. When enough projects take this approach, there will be lots of different outcomes, each representing a different part on the spectrum of landscape architecture. It is unreasonable to think that this project on its own will make much of a difference, but I like to think that it can spark a new approach towards climate resilience.