Japan Uniqueness

Japan Uniqueness

In Japan Uniqueness we utilize street view imagery and a landmark-free framework to analyze how different visual patterns build up the unique characteristics of cities. Here we focus on the six most visited Japanese cities and found that eight representative visual clusters explain each city's visual identity and relative distinctiveness.

Our research demonstrates how artificial intelligence applied to visual data can reveal subtle differences in urban environments. In the era of growing globalization, the cultivation of a city's unique visual characteristics can help avoid the homogenization of urban landscapes, and stimulate the development of placemaking strategies.

Team

• Carlo Ratti | Director SCL
• Song Guo | Lead Researcher
• Kee Moon Jang | Co-Lead Researcher
• Fábio Duarte | Resarcher & Design Manager
• Elizabeth McCaffrey | Website & Visualization Designer
  More About the Visualization

  This visualization is inspired by traditional Japanese fireworks: Hanabi [Flowers of Fire]. We use this visual metaphor to create a bridge between the dataset and Japanese cultural elements.

Publication

Guo, S., Jang, KM., Duarte, F., Ratti, C. (2025). Urban Visual Uniqueness: A Landmark-Free Framework to Quantify City's Identity and Distinctiveness from Everyday Scenes . Computers, Environment and Urban Systems

Press

The material on this website can be used freely in any publication provided that:

• It is duly credited as a project by the MIT Senseable City Lab
• A PDF copy of the publication is sent to senseable-press@mit.edu

For more information,
senseable-contacts@mit.edu

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