Metabolism was founded in 1960 to pursue a new approach to urbanism. Since then, its publications, theoretical and experimental projects became emblems of Japan's postwar cultural resurgence. At the root of the Metabolist urban utopias was a particular notion of the city as an organic process, which led to a series of visionary design concepts and embodied Metabolists' ideals of social change. The first full-length critical account of the Metabolist movement focusing on its urbanism and utopianism, this book situates Metabolism in the context of Japan's mass urban reconstruction, economic miracle, and socio-political reorientation. Tracing the evolution of Metabolism from its inception at the 1960 World Design Conference to its grand swansong at Osaka Expo 1970, this study examines the works of Kenzo Tange, Kisho Kurokawa, Fumihiko Maki, Kiyonori Kikutake, and Arata Isozaki, among others, who have profoundly influenced contemporary architecture and urbanism in the world.

Zhongjie Lin is an assistant professor of architecture and urbanism at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received a MS and a PhD in architecture from University of Pennsylvania, and a BArch and an MArch from Tongji University in Shanghai, China. His research focuses on modern architectural avant-garde movements, theory of urban design, and contemporary urbanism in East Asia. Dr. Lin is the author of Kenzo Tange and the Metabolist Movement: Urban Utopias of Modern Japan (Routledge, 2010) and Urban Design in the Global Perspective (China Architectural & Building Press, 2006). He published a number of articles in periodicals such as Journal of Architectural Education, Journal of Urban Design, Journal of Architectural & Planning Research, and Time+Architecture.