A Village Within the City: A Critical Reading of Japan’s Machikado Housing Project

Residential Design as a Catalyst for Social Integration

In light of the growing challenges of urban life, an important question arises:
Can a single home create a rich and sustainable living environment?
The answer provided by Japan’s Machikado project goes beyond improving housing aesthetics ,  it redefines the relationship between homes, communities, and public space.

A Closer Look at the Project: More Than Just Six Houses

Located in the Asahi-cho district of Kakamigahara, the Machikado project consists of six adjacent residential units.
However, the architectural concept of the project moves beyond the traditional “residential row” idea ,  it aims to create an integrated living environment, not just a series of individual homes.

The Boundary Between Road and Garden

One of the most prominent concepts in the project is the redefinition of road usage.
In this design, roads are no longer mere passageways ,  they are transformed into shared gardens, organically linking the six houses’ gardens together.
In this way, the surrounding space becomes a small, park-like communal area, enhancing the sense of belonging and encouraging neighborly interaction.

Integration Instead of Isolation

Rather than constructing isolated homes focused solely on privacy, the project offers a model of communal living that seeks to balance private life with community engagement.
By integrating gardens and public spaces, the daily experience of residents is reshaped ,  the boundary between “my home” and “the place I live in” becomes more fluid and intertwined.

From Isolation to Community: A Critique of Modern Japanese Housing Patterns

In the context of contemporary Japanese urban planning, it has become common for each residential unit to be built completely separate from its neighbors ,  as if each house were an isolated island, disconnected from its surroundings.
While this pattern offers simplicity in layout, it has gradually eroded community ties and distanced residents from the communal living spirit that once characterized traditional villages.

Reviving the Village Spirit in the Modern Neighborhood

In response to this challenge, the Machikado project seeks to revive elements of the traditional communal landscape.
The idea goes beyond rearranging homes ,  it is an attempt to reconstruct the social fabric that fosters daily human interaction.
Just like in old villages, where shared space was a natural extension of domestic life.

Space and Understanding: The Conditions That Enabled the Project

The realization of the Machikado project would not have been possible without two key factors:
• A suitable plot of land
• And a landowner open to a new architectural vision

The project was given a rare opportunity when a 1,395-square-meter plot was found ,  a relatively large area within the context of Japanese urban development.
More importantly, the landowner showed great understanding of the project’s vision and agreed to build his own home in a corner of the land, on the condition that it be included in the overall design.

Fair Spatial Distribution

With the landowner’s residence incorporated into the plan, the project consisted of six housing units.
Each home was allocated approximately 230 square meters ,  a carefully considered size that ensures privacy while also allowing for interwoven shared spaces between the units.

Legal Challenges in Designing Residential Complexes

Designing a cluster of adjacent houses on a single plot of land is no simple task ,  from the outset, it presents regulatory and legal obstacles that must be addressed carefully.
One of the most notable challenges in the Japanese context is a legal requirement stating that each house must have a minimum two-meter frontage onto a public road.

This condition limits the freedom to arrange homes within the available space, forcing architects to follow a specific planning model ,  even if it isn’t ideal in terms of community connectivity or environmental harmony.

Upholding the Concept Despite Restrictions

At the same time, there was a clear refusal to introduce a public road into the site ,  even though that would have resolved the legal issue directly.
This objection was not merely procedural; it stemmed from a desire to preserve the core vision of the project: to create a residential environment that fosters social interaction and balanced privacy, away from the dominance of public roadways.

A Garden Instead of a Road: Creatively Bypassing Legal Constraints

Faced with the legal challenge requiring a designated road frontage for each house, the designers opted for a smart and flexible solution ,  one that complies with regulations while also upholding the project’s communal vision.
Instead of building a traditional 8-meter-wide road (2 meters per house for the four rear units), this space was consolidated and transformed into a large shared garden.

In doing so, the project met formal requirements without sacrificing the essence of collaborative living.

The Edible Garden: Nature as a Part of Daily Life

The green space was not merely an aesthetic element ,  it became what could be described as an “edible garden.”
The land already contained mature chestnut and mandarin trees, which inspired the design team to plant additional fruit trees.
This initiative fosters stronger social bonds among residents and encourages daily, hands-on interaction with nature.

This approach reflects a design philosophy that seeks to weave environmental and social elements into the very fabric of the residential experience.

From Fragmentation to Integration: Lessons from Urban Corners

When working on the design of complex urban spaces ,  particularly what is known as “urban corners” ,  architects often realize that experience in designing detached houses alone is not sufficient.
In fact, in certain contexts, it may prove to be inadequate.
Reality imposes challenges that differ from isolated design scenarios, requiring a deeper understanding of connection and adjacency, rather than simply dealing with standalone architectural masses.

Returning to the Roots of Collective Construction

True inspiration does not stem from modern templates, but from traditional environments:
Townhouses, old farmsteads, and rural villages.
A closer look at the floor plans of old coastal villages and rural settlements reveals that the priority was not on the internal division of rooms within each house, but rather on the overall structure and orientation of the homes as a collective unit within an integrated environment.

The structural framework was the starting point, and individual lifestyles were later adapted around this shared foundation.

Collective Building as a Strategic Choice

Embracing this philosophy, the Machikado team adopted a similar approach:
Rather than designing each home individually, they unified the project’s foundational structure, allowing the internal layout to evolve based on the residents’ needs.
This approach reflects not only a distinct architectural vision but also a belief that communal living can be more practical and beneficial ,  just as our ancestors realized centuries ago.

Structural Variety and Scenic Harmony

While the Machikado project is built upon the concept of a unified framework, this does not imply complete uniformity among the residential units.
Instead, three distinct structural types were developed for the six homes ,  a response to the varying needs and functions of each household:
• Type I: Measuring 3.5 × 4.5 structural bays
• Type II: 3.5 × 4 bays with an additional detached structure
• Type III: Featuring 4.5 bays on a corner plot, utilizing the position to enhance openness and spatial flow

Roofs as a Visual Unifier

Despite the structural differences, a unifying design element connects all six homes: single-pitch roofs.
However, what distinguishes the project is the intentional variation in the orientation of these roofs ,  some slope from east to west, others from north to south.
This deliberate diversity in pitch direction creates a wave-like visual rhythm, allowing the homes’ façades to harmonize in a pleasant, cohesive countryside scene.

The result is a visually calm and balanced composition that evokes the charm of traditional villages ,  without stripping each home of its own unique identity.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Machikado project presents a striking design experiment that seeks to revive the spirit of communal living within the city, drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese villages while cleverly navigating legal and regulatory challenges ,  all without compromising the soul of the project.

On the positive side, the architectural team deserves credit for creating an alternative urban experience centered on social integration.
They skillfully invested in natural elements ,  such as the edible garden ,  to redefine the relationship between residents and the public realm.

However, legitimate questions remain about the replicability of this model in other urban contexts ,  particularly in large cities with high population density or complex real estate policies.
Moreover, the idea of restoring community through architecture alone, while ambitious, requires institutional support and collective behavior that extend beyond what a building can achieve on its own.

In the end, Machikado stands as a bold and inspiring endeavor ,  not without its challenges, but valuable nonetheless.
Its greatest contribution may not lie in the solutions it offers, but in the questions it dares to raise.

Prepared by the ArchUp Editorial Team

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