Research Center for “Community Hubs for the 21st Century”

In a society with a declining population, not only public facilities built by the government, but also local places set up by residents autonomously need to play an important role as community hubs. Although these places are small, they will have multiple functions such as welfare, education, culture, and solving everyday problems. It also needs to be an inclusive place where everyone can visit, regardless of disability, nationality, or family background. We focus on community hubs not only in Japan but all over the world including Italy which has many advanced examples of how to create inclusive spaces. The purpose of the research is to interpret the possibilities of community hubs from a spatial, programmatic, and activity perspective, and adapt the ideas to real practices.