Regional Planning Team Assoc., Inc.

Regional Planning Team Assoc., Inc. (RPT) is a Tokyo-based environmental planning consultancy founded in 1973 by Isobe and Shapiro, who had studied ecological planning at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Regional Planning. The firm applies the methodology of ecological planning — treating the environment as a resource to be used sustainably — to practical land-use and environmental planning work in Japan. RPT's core services include the preparation of map-based geographic information such as terrain classification, geology, flora and fauna, land use, and historical resource distribution. These environmental and resource maps make a region's environmental characteristics visible and objective, forming the basis for planning decisions. The firm advises on urban and regional forms that work with, rather than against, environmental characteristics, and on land-use plans that match the suitability of the land. A significant part of RPT's practice is administrative plan-making. The company states it has extensive experience drafting municipal environmental basic plans, global warming countermeasure plans, and general waste management basic plans. It also works on information disclosure and information systems, arguing that well-prepared and publicized environmental information encourages developers to take preventive measures against environmental impacts before projects proceed. Beyond planning documents, RPT engages in public-facing activities including events, art exhibitions, and workshops that it participates in or supports. The company is headquartered in the Yotsuya Eco Building in Yotsuya 2-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Its official website was last updated in December 2019. The firm is a private company and is not listed on a stock exchange.

Regional Planning Team Assoc., Inc. (RPT) was established in 1973 (Showa 48) by Isobe and Shapiro, who had studied ecological planning at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Regional Planning. The founding brought an American academic tradition of ecological planning into Japanese environmental consulting practice. From its base in Tokyo, the firm built its practice around the idea that the environment should be treated as a resource and used sustainably. Its methodology, ecological planning, was applied to concrete planning tasks: classifying terrain and geology, surveying flora and fauna, documenting land use and historical resource distribution, and turning this information into environmental and resource maps. These maps were intended to make a region's environmental characteristics visible and objective, so that planning could be matched to the land's suitability. Over the decades, RPT expanded into administrative plan-making. According to its own account, it accumulated extensive experience preparing municipal environmental basic plans, global warming countermeasure plans, and general waste management basic plans. It also developed work in information disclosure and information systems, promoting the idea that publicized environmental information encourages preventive measures against the environmental impacts of development. Alongside formal planning work, RPT has participated in and supported events, art exhibitions, and workshops. The company remains headquartered in the Yotsuya Eco Building in Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Its official website was last updated on December 20, 2019, and describes the firm as continuing its environmental consulting activities.

• 2019

  Official website last updated on December 20, 2019.

• 1973

  Founded by Isobe and Shapiro, who had studied ecological planning at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Regional Planning.

Environmental consultancy applying ecological planning to land use, mapping, and municipal environmental plans in Japan.

• Ecological planning

  A methodology for sustainable environmental planning that treats the environment as a resource.

• Environmental and resource maps

  Geographic information such as terrain classification, geology, flora and fauna, land use, and historical resource distribution.

• Land-use planning

  Planning that matches land use to environmental characteristics and suitability.

• Environmental information systems

  Systems for organizing and disclosing environmental information to encourage preventive measures.

• Municipal environmental basic plans

  Administrative plans prepared for local governments.

• Global warming countermeasure plans

  Administrative plans addressing climate change.

• General waste management basic plans

  Administrative plans for municipal waste management.

1. 1環境コンサルタント｜リジオナル・プランニング・チームrpt.co.jp
2. 2Regional Planning Team Assoc., Inc. (Japan) - Wikidatawikidata.org