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• The following report is written by Ms. Kazu Kitamura.

I participated in the International Urban Planning Workshop "43rd WORKSHOP FOR URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN OF CERGY-PONTOISE, ILE-DE-FRANCE- The River Seine as a Great Garden: The Sources -Ecology and habitability of the Seine and its tributes" from September 9, 2025 to 27th. The theme is "Balancing Ecosystem and Habitability in the Seine Basin." This program is organized by the non-profit organization Les Ateliers. 15 students and young experts from various fields such as architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and sociology gathered from around the world. They formed teams and developed proposals on how human activities and the natural environment can coexist in the Seine Basin.
During the first 4 days of fieldwork, they visited towns and villages along the Seine River and learned about local people's lives and culture, as well as issues such as flooding and climate change. As they moved through the suburbs of Paris, they learned firsthand the lifestyles and landscapes unique to each region, reflecting changes in building styles and the natural environment.

After the fieldwork, we worked as a team at the school for about 10 days. Working together with members from different fields of expertise, our team proposed a new environment for the town along the river, based on the idea of "Live with water, not as a threat". It was very interesting to see how the intermingling of our expertise led to new ideas that we would not have thought of on our own.
We enjoyed playing music from each country and going for walks between work sessions. I think these casual moments helped build trust among the team.

Although there were times when we struggled with discussions and presentations in English, we were able to share our ideas and create a single proposal through numerous discussions, including drawing sketches and building models. We realized once again the importance of expression and communication as we worked together across language barriers.
On the final day, we presented to international judges and government officials and received valuable feedback.

We also had meals, parties, and snacks from our own countries at our lodgings, which allowed us to deepen our exchanges in our daily lives. I feel that getting to know the members is as important as learning. I am happy that we continue to communicate with each other even after we return to Japan through Instagram and other channels. The three weeks I spent with people from different cultures and values were truly stimulating and quick. Everyday teamwork and exchanges broadened my perspective and made me think more deeply about how cities should live with nature. I hope to use the diverse sensibilities and insights I gained through this experience in my future research and practice.