ABSTRACT
Following the tsunami disasters that occurred in Southeast Asia in 2004 and in North-eastern Japan in 2011, environment control and landscape design have become crucial global issues. It is essential that we re-evaluate the principle of nature-friendly design, as exemplified by the 300 Japanese castle towns built from the end of the fifteenth century, maintained through the Edo Period and still preserved nowadays. The methods for shaping Japanese castle towns and their surrounding regions are analysed and described in terms of their compatibility with the natural environment. Originating in China, the theory of Feng Shui, which literally means wind-water, has been appropriated and developed by other Asian countries including Vietnam, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In Japan the principle of Shang Shui, literally meaning mountain-water, has acquired a broader significance. Theories of landscape design are based on specific local characteristics and share a philosophy of harmony, whereby communities and citizens are actively involved in collaborative projects of sustainable regeneration while respecting the traditional principles of urban design.
