Reading Our Cities: Reading Urban Space Through Architectural Elements and Everyday Experience
From 5 to 8 May 2026, the Institute of Smart City and Management (ISCM – UEH) co-organized the international workshop "Reading Our Cities" in Ho Chi Minh City, in collaboration with Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan, and Yuan Ze University (YZU), Taiwan.
From 5 to 8 May 2026, the Institute of Smart City and Management (ISCM – UEH), together with Tokyo University of Science (TUS) from Japan and Yuan Ze University (YZU) from Taiwan, held the international workshop "READING OUR CITIES: Through Architectural Elements and Urban Experience" in Ho Chi Minh City.
The workshop asked a central question: How do everyday architectural elements — façades, windows, balconies, canopies, small spaces, and decorative details — shape the character of a city and the way people experience it? And how can these small, often overlooked elements inspire fresh design ideas that feel both locally rooted and globally relevant?
The programme was led by an experienced team of international educators:
Prof. Kaon Ko – Faculty of Architecture, Tokyo University of Science, Japan
Prof. Chor Kheng Lim – Dean, College of Arts & Design, Yuan Ze University, Taiwan
Prof. Nico Chia Hui Lo – Faculty of Arts & Design, Yuan Ze University, Taiwan
Dr. Arch. Huỳnh Văn Khang – Lecturer, ISCM – UEH; Founder, Passive Design Laboratory
Nearly 85 students, from undergraduate to postgraduate level, took part, representing seven universities across Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam: TUS, YZU, ISCM–UEH, Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture (UAH), Vietnamese-German University (VGU), Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), and Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU).
The lively opening session, bringing together more than 85 students from universities in Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Dr. Arch. Huỳnh Văn Khang introducing the workshop brief
Prof. Kaon Ko presented "For A City: Interventions and Imaginations", tracing how Japanese cities have transformed over time and drawing lessons on how traditional urban values can inform contemporary design practice.
Prof. Kaon Ko presenting "For A City: Interventions and Imaginations"
Prof. Chor-Kheng Lim presented "From Elements to Interventions: Generative Tools for Reading and Remaking Cities", exploring how artificial intelligence can serve as a creative tool for reading, analysing, and reimagining urban space, offering student teams a practical and forward-looking framework for their design process.
Prof. Chor-Kheng Lim presenting "Elements to Interventions: Generative Tools for Reading and Remaking Cities"
International student groups collaborating and sharing their urban observations
Students were divided into 11 cross-institutional groups and worked together over four days in Ho Chi Minh City. Each group selected one architectural or urban element to study through four stages: field survey, cross-country comparative analysis (Vietnam – Taiwan – Japan), design development, and final presentation with professional critique.
Group work sessions throughout the workshop
The research topics reflected the full breadth of urban life in Ho Chi Minh City: street greenery along major roads, canopy and seating systems on pavements, rest spaces near Cho Ray Hospital, public waste bin design, multi-use pedestrian bridges, Saigon's café bệt street culture, interactive signage, bus stop redesign, and riverside transitional spaces along the Saigon River.
Students presenting their urban architectural design proposals
The final critique session, attended by local and international professionals, gave each group the opportunity to present and defend their proposals through research reports and physical models. Across all eleven presentations, a common thread emerged: whether beginning from a canopy, a bench, or a waste bin, each design intervention showed that even the smallest urban element can become a meaningful catalyst for human-centred space, when viewed through multiple cultural perspectives at once.
An engaged exchange between the jury panel and student groups during the critique
Creative proposals developed by student groups for the spatial transformation of the city
The distinguished jury panel — comprising leading national and international practitioners
The distinguished jury panel — comprising leading national and international practitioners
Full group photograph of students, faculty, and jury at the closing ceremony
Assoc. Prof. Trịnh Tú Anh, representing the Institute of Smart City and Management – UEH, presenting a commemorative pennant to Prof. Kaon Ko, Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan
During the workshop, a commemorative flag exchange took place between the leaders of the three universities, marking a formal milestone in their growing academic partnership. Assoc. Prof. Trịnh Tú Anh, representing ISCM – UEH, presented flags to Prof. Kaon Ko (Tokyo University of Science) and Prof. Nico Chia Hui Lo (Yuan Ze University). In the spirit of UEH Global 50, the three institutions expressed a shared commitment to building a connected educational network across Asia — one where universities extend beyond student and faculty exchanges to co-design curricula, conduct joint research, and develop pedagogy grounded in real urban challenges.
Assoc. Prof. Trịnh Tú Anh, representing the Institute of Smart City and Management – UEH, presenting a commemorative pennant to Prof. Nico Chia Hui Lo, Yuan Ze University (YZU), Taiwan
ISCM sincerely thanks all faculty, students, and guests whose participation and dedication contributed to the success of the R.E.D. Workshop 2026. Special recognition goes to the critique jury for their invaluable professional contributions:
Arch. Kosuke Nishijima – Director, Inrestudio
Arch. Sanuki Daisuke – Director, SDA Architects
M.Arch. Nguyễn Khiêm – Vice President, American Institute of Architects, Southeast Asia
Designer Nguyễn Đình Hòa – Creative Director, LAITA Design Studio
M.Arch. Anh Tuấn – Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, Vietnamese-German University
News and Photos: Institute of Smart City and Management (ISCM – UEH)