Finding a New Commons: Architecture's Role in Cultural Sustainability for Japan's Shrinking Regions: Buscando nuevos bienes comunes: El papel de la arquitectura en la sostenibilidad cultural de las regiones decadentes de Japon

Media representations of Japan's dynamic cities belie a growing national phenomenon. Urban migration, a declining birthrate and an aging population have transformed Japan's countryside over the past thirty years. These demographic changes have resulted in socio-economic decline, abandoned buildings and loss of regional culture. This paper explores architecture's role in facilitating cultural sustainability, education, and community connections to landscape. Despite the impacts of depopulation, some rural communities are embracing shrinkage and attempting to preserve their regional cultures. This poses a challenge for architecture, a profession dependent on urban and economic growth. In the unfamiliar context of degrowth, architects need to leverage existing buildings and resources.