About the Project ·

About Us

私たちについて

Noto Now is a project of the NOW Institute, developed in partnership with the City of Wajima, the USC School of Architecture, Rise-Kyoto, Nippon Design Center USA, and the University of Hiroshima.

The project guides the city's recovery through an urban framework that restores spatial hierarchies, honors the craft district, and introduces structural performance where the old fabric was most vulnerable.

Traditional joinery, Wajima townhouse

Noto Now 1 ·

The disaster — earthquake damage in Wajima

01

The Disaster

On January 1, 2024, a devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Ishikawa Prefecture's Noto Peninsula, with Wajima and Suzu among the hardest-hit communities. Wajima endured cascading disasters — fires, floods, and mudslides — that compounded recovery challenges.

The strategy — coastal community

02

The Strategy

The NOW Institute proposes a comprehensive resilience strategy integrating disaster-resistant master planning with economic revitalization through cultural assets: Wajima lacquerware, the Kiriko festival, and world-class agriculture including seafood and Wagyu beef.

The approach — urban planning scales

03

The Approach

This publication presents an integrated approach leveraging Oku-Noto's heritage to catalyze spatial disaster planning across three scales: regional planning, urban design, architectural speculations.

The goal — resilient waterfront community

04

The Goal

By grounding recovery in place-specific cultural and economic strengths, the strategy aims to rebuild community resilience while preserving what makes Oku-Noto and the cities of Wajima and Suzu distinctive.