The MIT Japan 3.11 Initiative is MIT’s response to the March 2011 triple disaster in Japan. This Initiative, established by the MIT-Japan Program at the Center for International Studies, provides a mechanism for faculty and student exchange between MIT and universities in the Tohoku region for the study and implementation of disaster-resilient planning.  A year into the work, the Initiative is helping improve everyday life for displaced villagers while simultaneously addressing the bigger question of how to rebuild in today’s Japan. Shun Kanda, Senior Lecturer,  MIT School of Architecture + Planning  and Director of the MIT Japan 3/11 Initiative, discusses the project.