How can parks serve as catalysts for stronger, more connected communities?
This is the question we’ll explore in our upcoming webinar, organized in collaboration with Green Connection Tokyo and World Urban Parks Japan, with the support of NPO Birth.
February Webinar
Date:
Wednesday 19 February 2025
Time:
10-11am JST (UTC+9), 12-1pm AEDT (UTC+11), and 2-3pm NZDT (UTC+13)
Speakers:
NPO birth, Executive Director / Green Connection Tokyo, Representative Director – Rumi SATOH
NPO birth, Park Coordinator – Kisaki SAISHU
NPO birth, Park Coordinator – Moe SAKMOTO
NPO birth, Park Ranger & Ecological Manager – Kodai SAITA
World Urban Parks, Ageing Well-being & Parks Committee, Co-chair – Masamichi TAMURA
Watch the Recording Here!
Watch the Recording Here!
Webinar Description
World Urban Parks is committed to connecting parks and open space professionals, providing informative opportunities for learning and sharing.
In this insightful webinar, our special guests from NPO birth in Japan will discuss alternative practices in Tokyo, as well as issues and new directions in park management policies in Japan. NPO birth is an intermediary organisation, fostering public-private collaboration in urban park management, with a focus on active social engagement with urban nature. NPO birth’s Executive Director and field staff will share how their unique organizational structure is devised to leverage the power of parks for community development. Focusing on its area management with green space networking in Kokubunji, a suburb of Tokyo, the webinar introduces its city-wide festival Bun-Bun Walk to examine how an intermediary organisation realizes cross-sectional collaboration among stakeholders in different social standings to foster convivial urban nature commoning.
The webinar includes time for Q&A and open discussion with attendees.
About our Speakers:
Rumi SATOH
Rumi SATOH is the founder of two intermediary organizations (NPOs) to promote green-related practices. Now as Representative Director of Green Connection Tokyo [GCT] (2018-), Satoh promotes networking a range of urban green professionals across both private and public sectors.
Also, as Executive Director of NPO birth (1997-), she fosters public-private collaborations to manage urban parks effectively for leveraging their potential for community development. NPO birth has now managed 73 urban parks in Tokyo and beyond, which add up to 520ha in total. Satoh promotes the model of intermediary organizations to promote active social engagement with urban nature for its preservation and revitalization.
In addition, Satoh has influenced national and municipal policies as an adviser in committees organized by ministries and local authorities (including Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Ministry of the Environment; Tokyo Metropolitan Government and more than ten local authorities).
Borad member of Koen Kanri Uneishi Kai [Association of Park Management Professionals]. Councillor of The Nature Conservation Society of Japan. Her published works include “The Future of Community Development Through Park Management” (Marumo Publishing, 2020)
Kisaki SAISHU
Kisaki SAISHU works at NPO birth as a park coordinator, responsible for coordinating volunteer activities in urban parks, planning and administrating park events, and helping connect people from different backgrounds, across public and private sectors, academia and industry, and improve their access to parks and nature in them.
Having studied topics related to well-being and betterment of human and nature relationship, she tries her best to make these goals come true.
Moe SAKAMOTO
Moe SAKAMOTO works at NPO birth as a park coordinator, in charge of Tokyo Metropolitan Musashi Kokubunji Park. Together with local people who want to “promote our Kokubunji!” and engage with various practices and activities, she tries her best to enhance the power of neighbourhoods and parks of Kokubunji-City.
Kodai SAITA
Kodai SAITA works at NPO birth as an ecological manager, specializing in the survey of flora and fauna and in the preservation and maintenance of green spaces.
When in the actual field of park management, he also works as a park ranger to connect people and nature
by offering visitors such opportunities as excursions in natural environment and ecosystems preservation while securing safety for them. He is designated as an environmental adviser of Kokubunji-City.
Masamichi TAMURA
Masamichi TAMURA is co-chair of the “Ageing, Well-being and Parks” committee of World Urban Parks as well as a board member of World Urban Parks Japan.
While studying the history of architecture theories and urban landscape ecology as a researcher (M.Eng),
he organizes a community group “michikusakai” to revitalize tiny urban parks in walkable distance together with nurseries in the neighbourhood, offering locals open opportunities for intergenerational communication from children to elders.
Salzburg Global Seminar Emerging Urban Leaders Fellow (2022-2023). Doctoral student at Institute of Science Tokyo in the field of architecture.
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