*** Since April 2016. Dr. Christian Dimmer transfered to Waseda University's School of International Liberal Studies (SILS), where he teaches Urban Studies, but he remains affiliated with the Urban Design Lab. as Research Associate. ***

Dr. Christian Dimmer graduated from the interdisciplinary ‘Spatial and Environmental Planning’ program at the Technical University of Kaierslautern/ Germany.

Besides his academic research he has cooperated with architectural firms such as Arata Isozaki and Associates or property developers like Mitsubishi Estate Inc. as urban design consultant on large-scale urban revitatisation schemes in central Tokyo as well as on various new town projects in China. In 2006 he established with two colleagues the architectural practice Frontoffice/ Tokyo.

Christian has earned his PhD from the University of Tokyo with his urban history dissertation ‘[Re]negotiating Public Space: a Historical Critique of Modern Public Space in Metropolitan Japan and its Contemporary Re-valuation’. As a JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) post-doctoral research fellow he was affiliated with the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies at the University of Tokyo, where he examined the 'Politics and Contestations of Public Space in post-industrial metropolitan Japan'. This project was carried out in cooperation with his research host Prof. YOSHIMI Shunya.

Christian was Assistant-Professor at the University of Tokyo (between April 2012 and March 2016), where he taught post-graduate courses on 'Advanced Urban Studies' as well as 'Dissertation Writing.' He also holds the position of an Adjunct-Professor at Waseda University’s School of International Liberal Studies, where he teaches undergraduate courses on ‘Sustainable Urbanism,’ 'Politics of Public Space,' 'Global Urbanism', as well as ‘Post-positivist Planning Theory’.

He is co-founder of the charitable, design-led disaster response organisation, Architecture for Humanity (now Open Architecture Collaborative OAC)｜Tokyo Chapter, as well as of the TPF²｜Tohoku Planning Forum, which facilitates the exchange of ideas, projects and initiatives for the reconstruction of the disaster-hit areas of Tohoku in north-eastern Japan with international experts and professionals from various fields.

Specialties: urban studies, planning theory, place governance, public space, urban commons, civil society, sustainable cities, adaptive cities, resilient cities, citizen participation

PUBLICATIONS

Monographs

DIMMER, C. ‘Public Space as a Socio-cultural Project: The Example of Urban Japan,’ in progress

Edited Volumes

DIMMER, C., MARTIN, A.; KAGOHASHI, K.; SEIGEL, M. T.; PULLEN, J.; NAGAHAMA, K.; MERE, S. ‘Responding to the Environmental Crisis,’ Nanzan University Institute for Social Ethics, Nagoya, 2015.

COLLECTIVE HOUSE KANKANMORI RESIDENTS UNION (Eds.), ‘This is a Collective House -  12 Years Collective House Kankanmori (これが、コレクティブハウスだ！ーコレクティブハウスかんかん森１２年)’, Domesu Publishers, 2014

DIMMER, C. (Ed.), ‘Privately Owned Public Space: The International Perspective’, SUR: Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Center for Sustainable Urban Regeneration, The University of Tokyo, Special Issue, Volume 25, January 2013.

DIMMER, C., NISHIMURA, Y., (Eds.) ‘Planning for Sustainable Asian Cites’ APSA 2011 Selected Papers Volume, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 2012.

Academic Articles

Dimmer, C. ‘Place-making Before and After 3.11: Emergence of Social Design in Post-Disaster, Post-Growth Japan’, Review of Japanese Culture and Society (Josai University), Special Issue ‘Design and Society in Japan,’ Vol. XXVII, 2016, forthcoming.

Dimmer, C. ‘Re-use of Former Military Brownfields and Environmental Model Projects in Small Rural Communities in Germany (ドイツ地方都市における軍用地の再生と環境モデル事業)’, City Planning (都市計画), 315号, pp. 2015.

DIMMER, C. ‘Evolving Place Governance Innovations and Pluralising Reconstruction Practices in Post-disaster Japan’, Planning Theory & Practice, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 260-65, 2014.

DIMMER, C. ‘Kunst als Mittel der Stadtentwicklung in Japan: Zwischen verordneten Creative City Träumen und zivilgesellschaftlichen Initiativen (Art and Urban Renewal: Between top-down Creative City Dreams and Grass-roots Initiatives)’, PlanerIn, 5/13, pp. 55-56. 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘Japan im Spannungsfeld zwischen raschem Wiederaufbau und nachhaltigem Umbau (Japan after 3.11: Between quick reconstruction and sustainable Transformation)’, Geographische Rundschau, March, Issue 3. pp. 4-10, 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘Public Space by Private Actors? Outlining the Lines of Conflicts’, in DIMMER, C. (Ed.) ‘Privately Owned Public Space: The International Perspective’, SUR: Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Volume 25, pp. 2-5, 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘Changing Understanding of New York City's Privately Owned Public Spaces’, SUR: Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Volume 25, pp. 8-11, 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘Standardised Diversity: Privately Produced Public Space in Japan’, SUR: Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Volume 25, pp. 38-43, 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘Tokyo’s Uncontested Corporate Commons’, SUR: Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Volume 25, pp. 44-9, 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘The ‘Yokohama Formula’: Collaborative Planning Culture and Comprehensive Public Space Vision’, SUR: Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Volume 25, pp. 53-6, 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘Branding the Corporate Image City: Public Space in Shiodome’, SUR: Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Volume 25, pp. Tokyo, 63-4, 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘Critical Differences and Common Ground: Towards an International Research Agenda’, SUR: Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Volume 25, pp. 83-6, 2013.

DIMMER, C. ‘Perpetual Performance’: Tokyo’s Garden & House, by Ryue Nishizawa,’ Architectural Review Australia (127), October/November, pp. 60-65, 2012.

DIMMER, C., ‘Letter from Tokyo - the challenges of creating more resilient architecture and infrastructure in earthquake- and tsunami-affected Japan,’ Architectural Review Australia (123), Special Issue ‘The Resilient City’, pp. 25-35, 2012.

DIMMER, C., Kasugai, Kai, Carsten Röcker, Bert Bongers, Daniela Plewe ‘Aesthetic Intelligence: Designing Smart and Beautiful Architectural Spaces’. In Ambient Intelligence, edited by David V. Keyson, Mary Lou Maher, Norbert Streitz, Adrian Cheok, Juan Carlos Augusto, Reiner Wichert, Gwenn Englebienne, Hamid Aghajan, and Ben J. A. Kröse, 360–361. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 7040. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2011.

DIMMER, C., GOLANI SOLOMON, E., KLINKERS, K. V. ‘Shinonome - New Concepts of Public Space.’ Summaries of Technical Papers of Annual Meeting, Architectural Institute of Japan, Osaka, Kinki Taikai, F-1, pp. 925-926, 2005.

DIMMER, C., GOLANI SOLOMON, E. ‘The Private Case of Public Space - a Visit at Shinonome Canal Court, Tokyo.’ Architecture of Israel Quarterly, 62, pp. 84-94, 2005.

DIMMER, C., KLINKERS, K. V. ‘Downtown Tokyo Revisited: Restructuring and Urban Renaissance (Tokio Centraal - Stedelijke Renaissance Door Geintegreerde Planningsmethod)’ S&RO (06), pp. 44-8, 2004.

Books Chapters

DIMMER, C. "Miyashita Park, Tokyo: Contested Visions of Public Space between Emergent New Urban Commons and Entrepreneurial Spectacle," in Hou, J. and Knierbein, S. (Eds.), City Unsilenced: Urban Resistance and Public Space in the Age of Shrinking Democracy, Routledge, 2017, forthcoming

DIMMER, C., Golani Solomon, E., "Discourses around Modernist Built Legacy Before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," in Bharne, V., Sandmeier, T. (Eds.), Routledge Companion of Global Heritage Conservation, Routledge Press, Fall 2017, forthcoming.

DIMMER, C. "Rebuilding post-tsunami rural Japan: Between swift reconstruction, sustainable restructuring and continuous Adaptation,“ in W. Yan and W. Galloway (Eds.) Rethinking Resilience: Adaptation and Transformation in a Time of Change, Springer, 2016 forthcoming.

DIMMER, C. “{Re}assembling Public Space: Evolving Geographies of Contestation, Celebration, and Collaboration in Contemporary Tokyo,” in F. Atsumi (Ed.) OrNamenTTokYo - in/significance of the ‘common’ in Japan, Art-Phil Publishers, 2016, forthcoming.

DIMMER, C. “New Urban Commons (新しいアーバン・コモンズ)” in Gardner, E. and C. Fruneaux, Tokyo Totem - A Subjective Guide to Tokyo, Flick Studio, pp. 298-303.

DIMMER, C. “Espacio público de propiedad privada en Japón - Espacios corporativos abiertos que no han sido reclamados para el uso público (Privately owned Public Space: Japan’s uncontested corporate Commons)”, in Schlack, E. (Ed.), POPS - El Uso Público del Espacio Urban, El carácter público a través de la normativa, ARC ediciones, pp. 134-158, 2015.

DIMMER, C. “少しずつ変わりゆく社会：かんかん森と日本お新しい都市コモンズ (Changing Society in Small Steps: Kankan Mori and Japan’s New Urban Commons)”, in Collective House Kankanmori Residents Union (Eds.), ‘This is a Collective House -  12 Years Collective House Kankanmori (これが、コレクティブハウスだ！ーコレクティブハウスかんかん森１２年)’, Domesu Publishers, pp. 153-156, 2014.

DIMMER, C. “Changing Society in Small Steps: Kankan Mori and Japan’s New Urban Commons”, in Collective House Kankanmori Residents Union (Eds.), ‘This is a Collective House -  12 Years Collective House Kankanmori (これが、コレクティブハウスだ！ーコレクティブハウスかんかん森１２年)’, Domesu Publishers, pp. 149-152, 2014.

DIMMER, C. “Tokyo, the Model”, in MYTO (Mein Tokio) Ein Stadtlesebuch zu TOKIO, Edition Esefeld & Traub, Stuttgart, pp. 166-169, 2013.

DIMMER, C., “Out of Sight, out of Mind? Raising Awareness for Tokyo’s hidden Privately Owned Public Spaces”, in CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN REGENERATION, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO (Ed.) ‘D Catalogue - Planning & Design’, pp. 80-91, Tokyo, 2012

DIMMER, C., BRUMANN, C. SCHULZ, E., “Society and Space in Urban Japan - An Introduction", in BRUMANN, C. and SCHULZ, E. (Eds.) 'Urban Spaces in Japan: Cultural and Social Perspectives', pp. 1-14, Routledge, 2012.

DIMMER, C., "Re-imagining Public Space: The vicissitudes of Japan’s privately owned public spaces", in BRUMANN, C. and SCHULZ, E. (Eds.) 'Urban Spaces in Japan: Cultural and Social Perspectives', pp. 74-105, Routledge, 2012.

DIMMER, C., PEGELS, J., SCHLACK, E., “Systematic co-production of publicly usable Spaces in the international Perspective – Privately owned public Space in New York, Tokyo and Santiago de Chile (Systematisierte (Ko)Produktion öffentlich nutzbarer Stadträume in außereuropäischen Kontexten – ‘Privately owned public Space’ in New York, Tokio und Santiago de Chile)”, in BERDING, U., et al (Ed.) “Stadträume in Spannungsfeldern. - Plätze, Parks und Promenaden im Schnittfeld öffentlicher und privater Aktivitäten”, pp. 120-137, Rohn Verlag, 2010.

Conference papers

DIMMER, C., LINDENBERG, J., ‘Performative Community Mapping for Social Resilience: Visualising Collaborative Ties and Social Capital between Recovery Initiatives in Post-Disaster Ishinomaki’. Presented at IASUR Conference 2014 - Sustainable Society as our Challenge, October 24-27, Kashiwa no Ha, 2014.

DIMMER, C., LINDENBERG, J., ‘Mapping Social Innovation and Strengthening Community Resilience: Bottom-up Recovery Initiatives and Community Spaces in Post-Disaster Ishinomaki, Japan’. Presented at the Mapping Culture - Communities, Sites & Stories, May 28-30, Coimbra, 2014.

DIMMER, C. ‘Privately Owned Public Space: The International Experience’, Urban Affairs Association Conference 2013, April 3-6, San Francisco, pp.1-17, 2013.

DIMMER, C., GOLANI SOLOMON, E., MORRIS, B., ‘4 Hours Urban Void’, International Conference Architecture and Phenomenology May 13-17th, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa; Conference Proceedings, pp. 250-256, 2007.

DIMMER, C., GOLANI SOLOMON, E., MORRIS, B., ‘Orchestrations of Time/Space.’ Modern- Re-appropriating Asia's Urban Heritage: Modern Asia Architecture Network (mAAN) 6th International Conference, Proceedings, University of Tokyo, Muramatsu, S., Ed., mAAN Publishing, Tokyo, pp. 191-197, 2006.

DIMMER, C. ‘The changing Understanding of publicly usable Spaces in Metropolitan Japan and its practical Implications for Urban Design (Verständniswandel Im Umgang mit Öffentlich Nutzbaren Stadträumen in Japan).’ Werkstatt ‘Hybride Räume’. Dokumentation der Beiträge zur Werkstatt am 02./03.05.2005, Hannover, Selle, K. and Berding, U., Eds., TU Aachen, Aachen, pp. 21-36, 2006.

DIMMER, C. ‘Towards an Optimised System of Networked Urban Open Space.’ Selected Papers from the 7th International Congress of Asian Planning Schools Association (APSA): Creating Better Cities in the 21st Century, APSA, Hanoi, pp. 143-55, 2003.

Theses

DIMMER, C. "Renegotiating Public Space: A Historical Critique of Modern Urban Public Space in Metropolitan Japan and its Contemporary Revaluation," Doctoral Dissertation, University of Tokyo, 355 pages, 2008.

DIMMER, C., AESCHE, J. ‘Myth Public Space – How public will the Future Cities be? (Mythos Öffentlicher Raum- Wie Öffentlich wird die Stadt der Zukunft noch sein?)’, Master’s thesis, 2001. 
Digitally available under: http://kluedo.ub.uni-kl.de/volltexte/2005/1838/

Others

DIMMER, C. ‘A guide to disaster survival and good design - book review of “Tokyo Bosai” (“Disaster Preparedness Tokyo”)’, The Japan Times, Nov. 7th, 2015.

DIMMER, C. ‘Should Nakagin Capsule Tower be Preserved?’, CTBUH Journal, Issues II, p.5, 2015.

DIMMER, C. ‘Place-making in Kōenji - (Re)Invented Spaces and Traditions’ MAS Context, Issue 24 Tokyo, pp. 180-4. 2014.

DIMMER, C., GOLANI SOLOMON, E. ‘Below the Minimal Surface of Muji’ San Rocco, Vol. ‘Monks and Monkeys’, pp.129-33, 2014.

DIMMER, C., GOLANI SOLOMON, E. ‘'Four Degrees Below the Minimal Surface of Mujirushi Riyohin: ‘Simple’, ‘In-Visibility’, ‘Wholeness’ and ‘Imagery’' [in Hebrew;]; in Domus Israel, May 2014;  Herzliya, Israel

DIMMER, C., ‘Tohoku Planning Forum: Sustainable Communities through Social Resilience’, The Architecture for Humanity Chapter Quarterly, Vol. 1, Issue 1, pp.34-39, 2013.

DIMMER, C., ‘Reconstruction in Times of Ageing Society, Decentralisation and Global Environmental Crisis’, Kyoto Journal, pp. 100-105, 2013.

DIMMER, C., 「誰もが参加できるまちづくり：世界の事例」(in Japanese: Inclusive Community Design: An international Perspective), in 世界の潮流からみた「銀座ルール」[‘Ginza Rule’ against the background of global retail developments], Commemorative Symposium for the Implementation of the Second  Ginza Urban Design Rules, Tokyo, Ginza, March 23rd, pp. 6-9, 2012.

DIMMER, C., ‘Restructuring for the future, not rebuilding the past’, The Japan Times, Sept. 20th, 2011.

DIMMER, C., ‘Towards a New Deal: Re-imagining an alternative Future for post-disaster Japan (published in English as well as in Japanese under the title: 日本の「ニューディール政策」に向けて - 別の未来をイメージする)’, Japan Echo, July 2011.

DIMMER, C. ‘Plans for public space need the public's input’, The Japan Times, Oct. 26th 2010

DIMMER, C. ‘The World in a Garden (Die Welt im Garten)’, Uni-Spectrum 2000 (02), pp. 32-3, 2000.

DIMMER, C.; BERLIN, J.; SCHAEFER, K.; WENDING, W.: ‘Tourism Concept Thuringian Rhoen – Beacon Project Hohe Geba (Tourismuskonzeption thüringische Rhön – Leitprojekt Geba)’, ARL, 2000.

Translations

ABE, Toshihiko and SATO, Shigeru ‘The Urban Form of the Inner Port Area in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, as Source of Resilience’ ISUF - Our Common Future in Urban Morphology, 2014.

OURMANI Nabiko (Ed.) ‘2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake’, Amazon Digital Services, 2011

BRZENCZEK, Katharina and WIEGANDT, Claus-CHRISTIAN ‘Peculiarities in the visual appearance of German cities – About locally specific routines and practices in urban design related governance.’ Erdkunde 63(3). 2009.

PROFESSIONAL WORK FEATURED BY OTHERS/ MEDIA CITATIONS

BLASCHKE, S., ‘Leben hinter Betonwänden - Fünf Jahre nach dem Tsunami wappnet sich Japan gegen das Meer. (Life behind concrete walls - 5 years after the tsunami Japan is bracing itself against the sea)’, NZZ Neue Züricher Zeitung, 12. March, NZZ am Sonntag, 2016.

DPA, ‘Die Aufbruchstimmung ist verflogen (5 years after the tsunami little to see of a fresh start)’, DPA German Press Agency, 10. March 2016.

O’DWYER, S., ‘Immigration: the missing piece in the Tohoku recovery puzzle?’, The Japan Times, Voices - Foreign Agenda, 6. March 2016.

BLASCHKE, S., ‘Life behind walls - How massive slabs of concrete affect Tohoku communities’, Number 1 Shimbun, 1. March, 2016.

ZOLL, P., ‘Schrumpfende Gemeinden in Japan- Gefahr aus den Geisterhäusern (Shrinking towns in Japan - Dangerous haunted houses)’, NZZ Neue Züricher Zeitung, 19. July, Asien-Pazifik, 2015

MILLS, R. ‘Video: Royal Visit To Tsunami Area and Survivors’, Sky News, 26. February, 2015.

VON DER WEIDEN, S.    ‘Leben in der Qualle - Hochhäuser auf dem Ozean (Living in a jelly fish - High-rise below the Sea),’ Die Welt, February 8, Ausg. 6, Wissenschaft, p. 1, 2015.

KAGEYAMA, Yuri ‘Condo to loom over samurai graves in Japan, spurring protest,’ Associated Press, January 13, 2015.

MCCURRY, Justin ‘Ocean Spiral: Japanese firm plans underwater city powered by seabed’. The Guardian, November 20, sec. World News. 2014.

FORSTER, Katharine ‘Architectural history in tiny Tokyo capsules - Nakagin Capsule Tower threatened by Demolition’, AFP, October 1. 2014.

SANRIKU SHINPO    ‘町づくり支援へ現状学ぶ - ドイツ学生が小泉を訪問 (Supporting Community Development, learning from the Actual Conditions - German Students visit Koizumi Bay)’. September 9. 2014.
MCCURRY, Justin ‘Great Wall of Japan? Locals balk at tsunami-protection plan’. The Christian Science Monitor, July 15. sec. Asia-Pacific. 2014

MCCURRY, Justin ‘Ishinomaki: New Communities Rise from Tsunami’s Devastating Divisons’. The Guardian, January 27, sec. Cities. 2014.

TABUCHI, Hiroko ‘The Olympics of the Future’. The New York Times, November 8, sec. Business Day / International Business. 2013.

CAMARGO, Orland    Business: From disaster locally, Japan can evolve globally, in: BARRON, Sandra, Ourmani Nabiko, Dan Ryan (Ed.) Reconstructing 3/11: Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Meltdown - How Japan’s Future Depends on Its Understanding of the 2011 Triple Disaster. Abiko Free Press. 2012.

NICHOLS, Katie 'Tohoku: The Road to Recovery, In: ‘Integrated Urban Solutions - The future of our sustainable cities’ Urban Development Projects, World Cities Summit 2012 Exclusive Edition, pp. 28-31. 2012

ONAGA, Lisa 'Teach 3.11: Participatory Educational Project Puts the Kanto-Tōhoku Disaster into Historical Context,' East Asian Science, Technology and Society: Vol.5, No.3, pp.417-422, 2011.

KAGEYAMA, Yuri ‘Japanese protest plans for downtown Nike park’, AP American Press Agency, story appeared also in Japan Times, Forbes and others, Sept. 26th, 2010

ATZORI, M. ‘Urban How? Infill’, C3, 307, pp-140-143, March 2010.

EDITORIAL, 'Yoyogi House', in Details Magazine, Korea; pp. 102-109, Sept., 2009.

EDITORIAL, Sumai no Sekkei, 6, pp.101-107, June, 2009.

BALMOND, S., 'Monocle Design Directory', in Monocle; May, 2009.

PETERS, T.,  'Sky Kiss', in Clear Magazine; p. 74-77, May, 2009.

GALLOWAY, W. & KLINKERS, K., 'Modernism', in Interni, Russia, Issue 9, pp.8-18; December 2008.

EDITORIAL, 'Yoyogi House', in Interni, Russia, Issue 5, pp.64-69; August, 2008.

BELL, J. & STATHAKI, E., 'Hot Properties. 50 New Architects in 27 Countries on 5 Continents. Who are you going to call?', Wallpaper, The United Kingdom, pp.91-104; August, 2008.

KEUNING, D., 'Slope', MARK Magazine, The Netherlands, Issue 14, pp.51; June, 2008.

LEWITSCHIK. L., 'Life’s A Squeeze - Architecture For Small Spaces', in Monocle, The United Kingdom, Issue 12, pp.131; April, 2008.

HODGSON, Deborah 'Tokyo: Race for the Eastern Cosmopolis,' in Newsweek 6-30, pp. 26-37, 2004.

EDITORIAL, ‘Fackelwoog-Schlosswiese-Pfalztheater, Kaiserslautern’ in: Wettbewerbe Aktuell, (Vol. 30), 3, pp. 35-40, 2000.

PUBLIC LECTURES/ PRESENTATIONS

03/2016    The Emergence of Social Design in Post-3.11/ Post-Growth Japan, Public Lecture at University of Southern California, School of Architecture, March 24, 2016. Watch the complete video of his USC talk.

03/2016    Building Common Ground: Outlining a Comparative POPS Research Agenda, Guest Lecture and Symposium for Prof. Jerold Kayden, The University of Tokyo, March 19, 2016.

03/2016    5 Jahre Wiederaufbau: Eine vorläufige Bilanz (5 years reconstruction: A preliminary review), Gesprächsabend der Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens (OAG), Tokyo, March 9, 2016.

01/2016    Central Yokohama Reloaded - Reflections on an International Community, Learning, Practice & Innovation Platform, Yokohama Citizen Congress, Yokohama Kaiko Hall, January 9, 2016.

12/2015    Designing the Theory/ Practice Interface— Community Resilience through Performative Mapping Practices, Workshop Engaging expertise in disaster governance Part 1 - A dialogues with ARI NUS and iii, University of Tokyo — A dialogue with ARI, NUS and iii, UTokyo, The University of Tokyo, December 10, 2016.

12/2015    Linking Action & Knowledge — Community Resilience through Performative Mapping Practices, GCP (Global Carbon Project) Workshop on Tools and Indicators for Assessing Urban Resilience, The University of Tokyo, December 7-10, 2015.

11/2015    Transition Town - a bottom-up proposal for resilient communities, Symposium: Risks and Opportunities in Japan: Local Communities Confronting Demographic Change and Climate Change, DIJ (Deutsches Institut für Japan Forschung - German Institute for Japan Studies), DIJ, Tokyo, November 12, 2015.

11/2015    Emerging Geographies of Contestation, Celebration, and Collaboration in Tokyo’s Public Spaces, Public Lecture at Interdisciplinary Centre for Urban Culture and Public Space, Vienna University of Technology, November 9, 2015.

11/2015    Creating the Atmospheric Premises for a Democratic Society: New Commons and Collective Housing in Japan, Conference: Activism in Contemporary Japan: New Ideas, Players and Arenas? University of Zurich, November 5-7, 2015.

08/2015    ‘Lokale Governance und kreative, zivilgesellschaftliche-gestützte Place-Making Strategien in Japan's Wiederaufbaugebieten’(Local Governance and civil society-based  creative Place-Making Strategies in Japan’s Reconstruction Areas), Japanologentag 2015, LMU München, August 26-28, 2015.

06/2015    ‘Emerging Place Governance Practices in Post-Disaster Japan’, Workshop ‘Lessons from Natural Disasters? Empirical Investigations’, University of Tokyo, June 11, 2015.

04/2015   ‘(Re)Making Shibuya - Transformation of Tokyo's Cultural Hub and the Networked Politics of Place,’ AAG (Association of American Geographers) Meeting 2015, Chicago, April 21-5, 2015.

03/2015  ‘Pluralising Place-Making Practices, Emerging Place Governance, and Empowerment in Post-Tsunami Ishinomaki, Japan,’ at Decentralized Disaster Governance in Urbanizing Asia, Singapore, March 5-6, 2015.

01/2015  ‘Social Innovations & New Commons: Bottom-up Strategies for Adaptive Change and Community Resilience,’ at GCP Workshop at High-Level Symposium on Sustainable Cities: Connecting People, Environment and Technology, Co-Convened By the United Nations and Toyota City, January 15-6, 2015, Toyota.

11/2014 'Emergent Public Life and Shopping Culture: The (Place)-Making of Tokyo’s Sub-centre Shibuya,' at Seminario Espacios Urbanos Vitales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, November 28; Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago de Chile, December 2, 2014.

10/2014  ‘Social Innovations & New Commons: Bottom-up Strategies for Adaptive Change and Community Resilience,’ at Workshop on Surprise Resilient Scenarios: Emergent Dialogue Approach, November 1-4, 2014, Okinawa.   

10/2014 ‘Performative Community Mapping for Social Resilience: Visualising Collaborative Ties and Social Capital between Recovery Initiatives in Post-Disaster Ishinomaki,’ at IASUR Conference 2014: Sustainable Society as our Challenge, Kashiwa no Ha, October 24-27,  2014.

10/2014  ‘Bottom-up Strategies for Reconstruction & Demographic Change in Post-Growth Japan’, DAAD Tokyo (German Academic Exchange Service), German Culture Centre, Akasaka, October 24, 2014.

07/2014 ‘Relational Place-Making, Actor-Networks and the Emergence of Tokyo's Sub-Centre Shibuya’, at XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology, RC-21, Yokohama July 13-9, 2014.

07/2014 ‘{Re}Assembling Public Space/ Creating New Urban Commons: Evolving Geographies of Contestation, Celebration, and Collaboration in Contemporary Tokyo’, at XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology, RC-21, Yokohama, July 13-9, 2014.

05/2014 ‘Mapping Social Innovation, Strengthening Community Resilience: Bottom-up Recovery Initiatives and Community Spaces in Post-Disaster Ishinomaki, Japan’, at Mapping Culture - Communities, Sites & Stories Conference, Coimbra, May 28-30, 2014.

03/2014  ‘Bridging Japan’s Urban/Rural Divide New Commons and Rural Experiments’, at The 9th Conference of the Pacific Rim Community Design Network, ‘Engaging the grassroots: Social Justice and Biodiversity,’ Taipei, March 14-9, 2014.

03/2014  ‘Beyond Risk: Designing Resilient Communities,’ at: RAW (Risk in Architecture) Workshop Ishinomaki, Sendai, March 11, 2014.

03/2014  ‘From Utopia to Environmental Crisis: The Search for the Good Life and Urbanisation’, at: Exploring the Origins of the Environmental Crisis Workshop, Nanzan University, Nagoya, March 4-7, 2014.

12/2013  ‘Community Spaces, New Commons and Japan's Shift towards a Post- Growth Society’, at: Opening Symposium for the ‘Tokyo Community Space Exhibition’, Chung Shan Creative Hub, Taipei, December 15, 2014.

06/2013 ‘Beyond State and Market: The Role of the New Urban Commons for Japan's Post-Growth Society’, 2013 International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC2013) Conference, Kitafuji, June 7, 2013.

05/2013 ‘Japan’s New Urban Commons as Response to Social Transformations’, Symposium in Collaboration with Tulane University, Frontoffice Tokyo, May 21, 2013.

04/2013 ‘Privately Owned Public Space: The International Experience’, 2013 Urban Affairs Association (UAA) Annual Conference, San Francisco, April 5, 2013.

12/2012 ‘Grass-root Initiatives for Alternative Energy Futures in Germany,’ public lecture at 11th Tohoku Planning Forum, as part of Keio University Environmental Innovators symposium ‘Innovation for Resilience and Transformation', December 21, 2012.

11/2012 'Hope not Tragedy: Japan's New Commons and Empowerment beyond State and Market,’ public lecture at National Taiwan University, November 26, 2012.

11/2012 ‘Japan after March 11th 2011: Between  rapid Reconstruction and Sustainable Restructuring’, Tokyo, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens (OAG), November 28, 2012.

11/2012 ‘The New Commons and Japan’s Post-Growth Society’, Still City Tokyo Workshop, November 6, 2012.

10/2012 ‘Social Capital as Central Element of Resilient Communities in post-311 Japan’, Plenary Assembly of all RCAST teachers, Tokyo University, October 10, 2012.  

08/2012 ‘Connecting the Dots: Sketching out a Model for and integrated, sustainable Heritage Tourism in Pinxi’, Symposium Pinxi, New Taipei, August 3-4, 2012.    

07/2012 ‘How to create resilient communities in post-disaster Tohoku’, Resilient Ishinomaki Symposium, Ishinomaki, July 22-3, 2012.

03/2012 世界の潮流からみた「銀座ルール」(‘Ginza Rule’ against the Background of Global Retail Developments), Commemorative Symposium for the Implementation of the Second  Ginza Urban Design Rules, Tokyo, Ginza, March 23, 2012.

11/2011 ‘Berlin: Contestations of Space and social Fragmentation between Global Fantasy and Local Reality,’ Society of Colombian Architects, Bogotá, November 30, 2011.

11/2011 ‘Restructuring the Future, not rebuilding the Past: Imagining an alternative future for post-3.11 peripheral Japan’, British Chamber of Commerce Japan , Property Forum + Tokyo Planning Forum, Tokyo, November 10, 2011.

09/2011 ‘The Spaces of Disaster and the City’ with Erez Golani Solomon; 24th UIA Congress, Tokyo, September 27, 2011.

09/2011 ‘Lessons from Planning the Metropolis Tokyo’, Opening speech at 11th APSA (Asian Planning Schools Association) Congress, Tokyo, September 20, 2011.

09/2011 ‘From Laissez-Faire Urbanism to New Urban Governance? Tokyo’s Corporate Commons as Spatial Signifiers of Social Change,’ 11th APSA (Asian Planning Schools Association) Congress, Tokyo, September 20 2011.

03/2011 ‘Whose public space? Mapping Tokyo's contested Geographies between global and local Transformation Processes’, ICAS-AAS conference, Honolulu, April 1, 2011.

01/2011  ‘Urban Governance, Identity and Contested Politics of Place in a Fragmented Metropolis,’ International symposium ‘Public Space and Citizen Participation in Urban Regeneration Processes —Leaning from Bogota, Berlin, Barcelona and Tokyo," Tokyo January 28, 2011.

12/2010 ‘Why don’t we plan in 6 dimensions? ’, Zurich, Department of Architecture, Assistant Professor Symposium, ETH Zürich, December 2, 2011.

11/2010 ‘HOW Public Space became a Problem again. Mapping the contested Geographies of post-industrial Tokyo’ VSJF Conference, Frankfurt, November 27, 2010.

11/2010 ‘In search of a new Community: Collective Housing Forms in Urban Japan’, Transforming Neighbourhoods Workshop, Tokyo, November 6-7, 2010.

07/2010 ‘Reclaiming the streets … for whom? Mapping Tokyo’s contested geographies’ at ‘Alternative (to) Politics: Youth, Media, Performance and Activism in Urban Japan’ conference, Sophia University, Tokyo, July 10, 2010.

05/2010 ‘Cooperative provision of Public Space in Metropolitan Japan’ Public lecture + presentation at STARS international workshop, RMIT, Melbourne, May 28, 2010.

12/2009 ‘A historical Critique of Japan’s commonly used Urban Spaces’, at Public lecture for Tokyo workshop of ISACF, Ecole de la Cambre, Dec 18, 2009.

07/2009 ‘Corporate Commons or the Twisted Story of Tokyo’s New Privately Owned Public Spaces’ at ‘Inter-Asia Cultural Typhoon Conference 2009, Tokyo University of Foreign language studies, July 4, 2009; panel chair ‚the cultures of public space’

06/2009    ‘Local Planning Cultures and Public Space: Actors, Institutions and Contexts that create Urban Space in Japan and Germany?’ Public lecture at the Technical University of Dortmund, June 12, 2009.

06/2009 ‘The curious journey of Japan’s privately owned public spaces from Dead Space, via Little Disneyland to historic ‘Authenticity,’ 8th Asian Studies Conference in Israel, Tel Aviv University June 4, 2009; Co-chair of the panel: ‚Ubiquitous Terrains: Six Observations of the Contemporary Japanese City’

06/2009 ‘Spaces of Civil Society & Corporate Commons in Japan’ Guest lecture at School of Architecture, Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts, Tel Aviv University, June 3, 2009.

10/2008 ‘Learning from the cooperative Production of publicly usable Space in Urban Japan’ International conference‚ POPS (privately owned public spaces) - Learning from New York & Tokyo. Exploring the management of private spaces for public use’, Santiago, October 15-16, 2008.

06/2008 ‘How public and private Actors jointly produce common Spaces in Tokyo’ Conference ‚Squares, Parks & Promenades – the public/ private co-production of urban public space’, Technology centre Aachen, June 20, 2008.

01/2008 ‘[Re]negotiating Public Space – A Historical Critique of Modern Public Space in 
Metropolitan Japan and its Contemporary Revaluation’, Workshop ‚Urban Image and the Re-Writing of the Japanese Metropolis’, Sophia University, January 12, 2008.

05/2007 ’4 Hours Urban Void’, Conference ‚Architecture & Phenomenology’, May 13-5, 2007, Tel Aviv.

11/2006 ‘Orchestrations of Time/Space’, mAAN 6th international conference, Tokyo, November 3, 2006.

09/2005 ‘Shinonome - New Concepts of Public Space’, Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) annual meeting, September 3, 2005, Osaka.

05/2005 ‘Changing Imaginings of Public Space in Urban Japan’, Invited guest speaker at international planning workshop ‚Hybrid Spaces’, May 2–3, 2005, Hanover.

09/2003 ‘Towards an Optimised System of Networked Urban Open Space’, 7th Congress of APSA, Hanoi Architectural University, September 12-14, 2003.

10/2001 ‘Mythos öffentlicher Raum’, public lecture/ defence of diploma thesis, University of Kaiserslautern, October 3, 2001.