In Onomichi, urbanists redesign public life via vacant homes
In Onomichi, a port town in Hiroshima Prefecture known for its steep slopes and views of the Seto Inland Sea, a hillside renovation project has become an emerging hub for global collaboration and local revitalization.
About 150 steps above street level in the Higashitsuchidocho district sits a cluster of wooden houses more than a century old. The buildings have been undergoing extensive renovation for the past six years and are now rebranded as Labyrinth House, “a place where people eat, talk and make something together.”
The project to transform the akiya (abandoned homes) into a community center has developed in stages. Samuel Holden, a 36-year-old American urbanist and translator, got involved with the renovation in 2020 and has led the second phase of the project for the past four years.
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