Building a community that people will choose 100 years from now

Onagawa Central District, Onagawa Earthquake Reconstruction Project

We have been involved in the reconstruction of Onagawa Town since right after the Great East Japan Earthquake, which destroyed many of the town’s functions. One month after the disaster, the Onagawa Town Reconstruction Liaison Council developed as a private organization for considering the town’s future and local landscape. At the same time, the Onagawa Town Development Promotion Council was established as an organization to promote reconstruction and town development through the participation of local residents. Subsequently, the Onagawa Town Development Working Group (June 2012) and the Onagawa Town Reconstruction Town Development Design Conference (September 2013) were launched, through which the mayor, town hall staff, construction professionals, urban design experts, and town residents gathered to think about and discuss the utilization and design of the space. This project is the result of those meetings.

　

The design concept of the Onagawa Central District, a symbolic space in front of Onagawa Station, was finalized as “a town that lives with a view of the sea.” Project members discussed how to create “an urban space that people will continue to choose 100 years from now” that harmonizes with the rich nature of the surrounding area.

　

Renga Michi, the brick pathway that forms the backbone of the Onagawa Central District, is a pedestrian promenade that connects Onagawa Station to the sea (Onagawa Bay). It was designed as a belt-shaped park lined with different types of trees and benches of varying shapes to soften the axial view of the sea. We also designed the space to appear continuous with the sea by unifying spatial components such as the pavement, benches, plants, and lighting. We coordinated carefully with the designers of the buildings along the Renga Michi, harmonizing the design of the promenade with the buildings and decks to create a unified space with shared functions.

　

This has created comfortable and attractive space in the town, which now serves as a place for relaxation and bustles with residents and tourists. In recognition of this achievement, the project won the Japan Institute of Design Promotion’s 2018 Good Design Award. We received positive feedback such as, “By visiting the space in person, one can sense the symbolic quality of the spatial design that is not only visual, but also experienced.”

　

In addition, the following year, the project won the Civil Engineering Design Prize 2019 (Grand Prize) sponsored by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. It was praised for the safe residential areas built on high ground and the compact urban area formed by various facilities constructed around the Renga Michi in front of Onagawa Station. The fact that urban development was conducted through cooperation between public and private sectors also received high praise, as did the landscape design itself.