The International Seminar on Architecture and Urban Design entitled “Preserved historic urban spaces and quality of life in the city” was co-hosted by the architecture and environment design course at the faculty of science & Engineering, Saga University, and Japan and Austria Science Exchange Center (JASEC), Vienna University of Technology, in the term from 6 to 17 September, 2021. Totally 36 persons participated in the seminar from Saga University (1 teacher and 10 students), Vienna University of Technology (5 teacher and 6 students), Ochanomizu University (1 researcher and 6 students), Shibaura Institute of Technology (6 students) and Kyushu University (1 student), then we had a lecture series on conservation of historic and natural environment, and a workshop with presentation of surveys and proposals by student teams.

This seminar was held in the long friendship by Prof. Dr. Nobuo Mishima who studied at Vienna University of Technology, so far annually international workshop with the mutual dispatch of students have been carried out. Yet, last year it was cancelled due to the world-wide spreading of COVID-19, so the online seminar was carried out this year. Then, new exchange involving the other universities in Japan, namely Ochanomizu University and Shibaura Institute of Technology which have MOU with Vienna University of Technology, was conducted.

In the lecture, comparison of historic preservation between Austria and Japan, nature protection and parks in Vienna, methods of townscape design, and recent problems on regeneration of preservation area for groups of traditional buildings are introduced by Austrian and Japanese researchers, and discussion was done by the participants. Additionally, the student groups created their works in the term of two weeks: a proposal for green access in the city, a proposal of use of imperial garden, a comparison of a new worth of streetscape, problems of area managements surrounding the stations in Japan, and proposal for use of historic environment in a remote island in Japan.

Thus, we could obtain and exchange idea about architecture and urban design through deep discussion going beyond time difference, although there were difficulties due to the online international exchange rather than onsite workshop. We are very pleased and appreciate that we could have this opportunity.