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Ariga Lab
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A lab that designs and plans the living environments of towns where people live, and works to preserve and regenerate them.
AboutAbout the lab
Approaching cities and towns from multiple perspectives
The Ariga Lab studies the design and planning of residential areas where people live, and the preservation and regeneration of local living environments.
The lab approaches its research from two perspectives: urban design, which links architecture and the city, and community design for local areas.
While taking part in community development projects in Japan and abroad, the lab investigates local history and residents' memories to clarify what makes a residential area distinctive to its place.
Key terms
- Urban design
- An approach that links architectural design with urban planning to shape the spaces of a city
- Community design
- Designing the connections and systems among the people who live in a community
- Urban structure
- The system of how population, buildings, roads, and other elements are arranged within a city
NewsLab news
A master's student received an Honorable Mention at the UIA International Students Ideas Competition
A master's student received the House of No Waste Award Prize at the UNU-FLORES International Ideas Competition
A master's student received the Award of Excellence (National Selection) at the Architectural Institute of Japan Design Competition 2025
A master's student received an Honorable Mention (Chapter Selection) at the Architectural Institute of Japan Design Competition 2025
A master's student received the 2025 (36th) Architectural Institute of Japan Outstanding Graduation Thesis Award
ResearchResearch themes
The Ariga Lab studies the design and planning of residential areas where people live, and the preservation and regeneration of local living environments. Through community development projects, it explores urban spaces that are distinctive to their place, based on local history and residents' memories.
*Illustrative imageMatching for the Use of Public Spaces
In Yokkaichi, the lab is developing a space-matching system to promote the use of unused public spaces, and is conducting social experiments.
*Illustrative imageDecarbonized Urban Redevelopment
Focusing on Nishi-Shimbashi, the lab is researching renewal scenarios for existing urban districts aimed at decarbonization.
*Illustrative imageUrban Structure in an Era of Population Decline
Focusing on Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, the lab is studying what kind of urban structure suits a society with a shrinking population.
MembersFaculty
The Ariga Lab's members are faculty, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and international students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakashi Ariga
- LecturerMoe Komatsu
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
On a 4-point scale, ● marks where students' answers fall
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RelatedLabs similar to Ariga Lab
Goto LabSchool of Creative Science and Engineering, Department of ArchitectureUrban planning, urban landscape, collaborative community bui…
Yaguchi LabSchool of Creative Science and Engineering, Department of ArchitectureUrban planning, urban district regeneration design, urban de…
Watanabe LabSchool of Creative Science and Engineering, Department of ArchitectureDesign, architectural design, and urban history
Tanaka LabSchool of Creative Science and Engineering, Department of ArchitectureDesign, architectural design, urban design, and architectura…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Old Merchant District of Little Edo IMG 0323” Dandy1022 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Matching for the Use of Public Spaces: “Pine tree turned granary ( )” Tracie Hall from Orange County, us / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Decarbonized Urban Redevelopment: “A close-up of scaffolding for restoration in the Plantage Muidergracht, Amsterdam; high resolution image by FotoDutch in June 2013.” Fons Heijnsbroek / CC0 (cropped)
- Urban Structure in an Era of Population Decline: “Yamagata prefectural road route 47 in Tsuruoka City” 掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Goto Lab): “Residential by Zenpukuji River in Horinouchi, Suginami, Tokyo, Japan, 2024 May” Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Yaguchi Lab): “Tokyo-Waterfront-City” MaedaAkihiko / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Watanabe Lab): “Mangrove roots in the Laguna de La Restinga” Wilfredor / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tanaka Lab): “Kintsugi on broken Kyūsu lid-top oblique PNr°1258” D-Kuru / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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