Rethinking Work, Life, and Planet through Machikoba Neighbourhoods | Christian Dimmer | TEDxWasedaU

Tokyo's machikoba, small neighbourhood factories where work and daily life share the same space, contribute to the city's economy and to its resilience, according to this talk. The speaker argues that redevelopment is eroding these places and the social networks they support, not only production. He calls for post-growth cities to relearn how to live and work locally. The talk, given at TEDxWasedaU, is presented by Christian Dimmer, an Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Transition Design at Waseda University. It asks whether cities could be redesigned to actively drive socio-ecological transformation, using Tokyo as the example.

• Tokyo's machikoba: small town factories where work and living coexist
• Redevelopment threatens these neighbourhoods and their social networks
• Post-growth cities and local living and working in the Anthropocene
• Speaker: Christian Dimmer, Waseda University

Tokyo’s Machikoba—tiny town factories where work and life coexist—quietly sustain the city’s economy, and provide resilience, and meaning. As redevelopment threatens and erases them, we risk losing not just production, but vital social networks. In the Anthropocene, post-growth cities must relearn how to live and work locally—or face brittle, disconnected urban futures. What if cities could be redesigned to actively drive socio-ecological transformation? Christian Dimmer is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Transition Design at Waseda University's School of International Liberal Studies. Trained as a city planner in Germany and Japan, he explores how urban systems, public space, and human-centred design can unlock more resilient and inclusive futures for all. His work bridges theory and practice—from grassroots urban commons to global policy mobilities—using Tokyo as a living laboratory for social innovation, resilience, and adaptation in an age of accelerating change. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx