■Symposium Outline

It is said that there are more than 20,000 unoccupied dwellings in Toshima City. These empty houses are considered an urban problem, as their existence weakens community ties, and works against disaster and crime prevention. On the other hand, considering them as an unexploited resource, there are more and more examples of them helping to enliven communities when they are turned to artistic and cultural ends.
This year’s Toshima Art Station Koso sees an old apartment building in the Kami-Ikebukuro area into the base for “Toshima Art Station Y.” The symposium will introduce the “Kami-Ikebukuro Homes Project,” for which the location serves as a focal point, and through a discussion among the guest speakers who make use of these empty houses and other urban nooks and crannies, we will consider how artistic and cultural hubs stimulate local communities, as well as the possibilities arising from this.