Smart plus livable how public space should be designed towards smart and livable districts

Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies Smart plus livable: How public space should be designed towards smart and livable districts Kien To1, Kaho Miyoshi2 and Atsuyuki Nakaseko3 Abstract Traditionally, cities around the world compete globally on the basis of economic development However, nowadays cities are progressively competing on the basis of sustainability and livability, which continue to attract considerable attention of governments, policy makers, developers, planners, academics and others How can we achieve Sustainable and Livable Cities? Along with the waves of digital and ICT revolutions, the Smart City concept and model have been increasingly seen as one of the key drives towards Sustainable and Livable Cities Smart City has rapidly become a “hot” trend, especially in most developed and fast developing nations The Smart City concept embraces some definitions depending on how to understand the word “smart” There is a clear emphasis on the technological advancement and resource efficiency in the Smart City model world-wide However, some others also incorporate the livability or sustainability dimension in that We strongly advocate this opinion and believe that “smart” should go hand in hand with “livable” In other words, a holistic approach shall be well considered and adopted, which goes beyond solely technologically smart to incorporate other livability aspects such as ecology, safety, vibrancy, sociability, inclusiveness, innovation, etc Furthermore, while most attention is paid at the city-scale when it comes to promote a smart city, we emphasize on the importance of focusing on the district or neighborhood level This level is important, because it is the intermediate level that can well connect downwards to the communities as well as upwards to the city In other words, we focus on achieving “smart plus livable” districts first At the district or neighborhood level, public spaces - such as squares, streets, plazas, parks, playgrounds and waterfront promenades - play a key role and can become a key drive to enhance livability level of the district And they should be planned and designed more attractively and inclusively for all kinds of users Our research goes around a central question of how to plan and design public spaces in smart plus livable districts or neighborhoods and seeks demonstration cases that show way forwards Our qualitative research methodology includes 1) literature review and secondary data collection and analysis from diverse sources, and 2) field survey with a focus on public spaces The field survey is comprised of a physical investigation and street interviews of random residents The main part of the paper focuses on an investigation of two case studies in Tokyo Metropolitan Region: Kashiwa-no-ha new town (a compact city with the size of a district), and “Minato Mirai 21” district in Yokohama Both have been aimed to be developed to become a smart town However, they feature different concepts, strategies and foci, which result in different urban development outputs A brief field survey was conducted in April 2018 Various forms of smart features were found and photographical recorded, while the street interviews of random residents revealed insights, stories, perception, opinions or feedbacks of residents about those smart features Upon analysing the case studies, some important key words for design public spaces in smart and livable districts could be derived They include “shared” (shared space, resources, energy, mobility, time, information, etc.), “hybrid” or mixed use (hybrid systems, multi-functional, mixed-used), “efficient” (efficient systems, efficient usage of space, time, resources, etc.), “eco design” (passive cooling systems, ecological elements, etc.), “inclusive” (suitable for multi-generational, multi-sectoral users), “participatory” (multi-sectoral, multi-level participation), “safe” (safe from crime, accidents) and “comfortable” In conclusion, the case studies demonstrate ways to plan and design public space in smart plus livable districts or neighborhoods Ultimately, they demonstrate a more comprehensive approach to Smart City, which goes beyond solely technologically smart to incorporate other essential livability features towards a better future for our cities Keywords: Smart city, livable city, public space Eight Japan Engineering Consultants Inc., kien-to@ej-hds.co.jp (PhD, Corresponding Author) Eight Japan Engineering Consultants Inc Eight Japan Engineering Consultants Inc Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies Introduction 1.1 Background Traditionally, cities around the world compete globally on the basis of economic development However, nowadays cities are progressively competing on the basis of sustainability and livability, which continue to attract considerable attention of governments, policy makers, developers, planners, academics and others How can we achieve Sustainable and Livable Cities? Along with the waves of digital and ICT revolutions, the Smart City (concept and model) has been increasingly seen as a key drive towards Sustainable and Livable Cities, as they improve urban sustainability with help of technologies As such, Smart City has become a “hot” trend, especially in highly developed and fast developing nations However, the concept of what constitutes a smart city is ambiguous The Smart City concept embraces some definitions depending on how to understand the word “smart”: intelligent city, knowledge city, ubiquitous city, digital city, etc Numerous definitions exist, but none of them has been universally acknowledged yet (Cocchia, 2014) There is an obvious and dominant emphasis on the technological advancement and resource efficiency in the Smart City model world-wide For example, Ahvenniemi et al (2017) analyze eight sets of smart city assessment frameworks and eight sets of urban sustainability ones with a total of 958 indicators and conclude that there is a much stronger focus on modern technologies and “smartness” in the smart city frameworks compared to urban sustainability frameworks However, some others incorporate the livability or sustainability dimension in that For example, Ahvenniemi et al (2017) also conclude that smart city frameworks lack environmental indicators as compared to urban sustainability frameworks The authors recommend the use of a more accurate term “smart sustainable cities” instead of smart cities In a report titled “Startup my city: Smart and sustainable cities in Asia” (2016), the Londonbased Economist Intelligent Unit (EIU) examines sustainable and smart city initiatives in 20 cities across ASEAN and Asia-Pacific and concludes that the smart city concept ranges from a narrow technology-focused definition to one that considers quality of life more broadly across a range of areas, such as education, the environment, safety and governance The report reveals a common trend of a drive for efficiency across those cities, which is necessary in the context of rapid urbanization and rising expectations The public sector tries to provide better services with fewer resources while businesses and citizens demand more This has made governments focus on building smarter and more sustainable cities, with the assistance of enabling technologies According to Anand et al (2017), a smart city is seen as a sustainable and efficient city center providing high quality of life by optimally using its resources especially energy For others, such as Greco and Cresta (2015), a smart city is generally meant a technologically advanced city, capable of joining “competitiveness” and “sustainability”, by integrating different dimensions of development (economic, mobility, environment, people, living and governance), becoming selfsufficient Delacharlerie (2017) states that smart cities aim at achieving three things: sustainability, efficiency, and livability Girardi and Temporelli (2017) even coins a new term called “smartainability” - a methodology that allows to estimate, qualitatively and quantitatively, how far a smart city is more sustainable in environmental, economic, energetic and social aspect, thanks to innovative technologies We strongly advocate this opinion and believe that “smart” should go hand in hand with “livable” In other words, a holistic approach shall be well considered and adopted, which goes beyond solely technologically smart to incorporate other livability aspects such as ecology, safety, vibrancy, sociability, inclusiveness, innovation, etc Many urban technologies tend to lure people to either the virtual world or the individual world and consequently make them more isolated Instead, technologies shall be more shifted towards bringing people together Furthermore, while most attention is paid at the city-scale when it comes to promote a smart city, we emphasize on the importance of focusing on the district, neighborhood or community level This level is important, because it is the intermediate level that can well connect downwards to the communities as well as upwards to the city In other words, we focus on achieving “smart plus livable” districts first In a previous study (To and Nakaseko, 2017), we discuss on how public space can greatly contribute to the city’s livability For instance, judging various basic elements that make the city livable - from healthy environments to accessible and well-designed public places, from good public transport to recreational opportunities, etc - many of these are closely related to key public spaces in the city At the district or neighborhood level, public spaces such as squares, streets, plazas, parks, playgrounds and waterfront promenades - play a key role and can become one of the key drives to enhance livability level of the district And they should be planned and designed more attractively and inclusively for all kinds of users Good public spaces for many kinds of people used at different times of the day or different days of the week, are “flexible spaces that can accommodate different activities, Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies whether programmed or spontaneous, and have the capacity to transform over time to encourage new uses, energizing the site at all times” (Ryan 2006) Public spaces work best when they not offer intended uses, but rather, provide opportunities for different people to make use of them in different ways that suit them The mix of people is a key to understanding the importance and vitality of public spaces (Efroymson et al., 2009:22), especially in view of “places for all” There are emerging initiatives and efforts for place-making with participation from various multi-sectoral stakeholders These participation processes certainly improve the quality of public spaces and ultimately urban livability for all in a sustainable way Because people who contribute to the place-making processes understand their own needs, represent their own groups, want to make a change, and have a sense of ownership and pride after making contributions And the emerging trend in urban planning and design practice to involve target communities and groups in the planning and design processes paves the way towards achieving livable cities for all (To and Nakaseko, 2017) 1.2 Research interest and methodology Our research goes around a central question of how to plan and design public spaces in smart plus livable districts or neighborhoods, and seeks demonstration cases to learn from Our qualitative research methodology includes 1) secondary data collection from diverse sources and literature review, and 2) a field survey with a focus on public space at the district scale The field survey is comprised of physical investigation and street interviews of random residents who are present at a public space at the time of the survey Brief historical introduction of the case sites This section focuses on an investigation of two case studies in Tokyo Metropolitan Region: Kashiwa-no-ha new town (a compact city with the size of a district), and “Minato Mirai 21” district in Yokohama Both have been aimed to be developed to become a smart town However, they feature different concepts, strategies and foci, which result in different urban development outputs A brief field survey was conducted in April 2018 2.1 Kashiwa-no-ha The Shimofusa Plateau, now home to Kashiwa-no-ha area, was a well-known horse-breeding area since early times Throughout the Edo era (1603–1867), the horse paddocks was under Tokugawa Shogunate’s control Kashiwa-no-ha once belonged to a paddock called Koganemaki, which was eliminated by the government after the Meiji Restoration and then promoted settlements and agriculture there During the World War II, the reclamation land “Toyofuta” was developed as military airport to protect for the metropolitan region After the Korean War broke out in 1950, the United States Air Force built a communications base on an area of 188 hectares around this area In 1961, in the midst of an economic boom, Mitsui Fudosan (Real Estates) - the primary developer originated from this area - opened Kashiwa Golf Club The rapid growth period started around 1970, marked with the completion of the national highway Route 16, and urbanization gradually took place in the Northern part of Kashiwa City In 1979, when the United States Air Force returned the entire property, the area made a fresh start as a new town In 1981, the Joban Expressway was built Later on, during 1984-1990, the Land Readjustment Project of the Kashiwa Communication Office Site was implemented In 1991, supplementary farms of the Faculty of Horticulture at Chiba University were opened in Kashiwa-no-ha In the following year, the National Cancer Center Hospital East was established in the area In 2000, the Tokyo University Kashiwa-noha Campus was opened, and in the following year, an integrated land readjustment project was approved for North and Central Kashiwa In 2001, Kashiwa City began a land readjustment project at the 273-hectare Kashiwa-no-ha area based on an urban planning project Another milestone was the open of the Tsukuba Express in 2005, and the Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station was built The great accessibility led to a new development chapter for Kashiwa-no-ha Since the Urban Design Center Kashiwa-no-ha (UDCK) was opened in 2006, the development in this city has been well progressed step by step In 2008, Chiba Prefecture, Kashiwa City, the University of Tokyo, and Chiba University announced Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies the Kashiwa-no-ha International Campus Town Initiative, highlighting the area as a next-generation model city Since then, Kashiwa-no-ha has been drawing on the strategic triangle partnership of public, private, and academic sectors to constantly improve itself as a next-generation model city and a pioneering center for academic and business experiments (A summary from Mitsui Fudosan, 2014, and exhibited information at the UDCK) (Fig 1) In 2011, the Town Planning Council at the Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station was established, and in the following years, a number of keys projects were completed Figure Kashiwa-no-ha area in 1984-87 (left) and in 2007 (right) Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan 2.2 Minato Mirai The history of the Minato Mirai area is well connected with the history of Yokohama City itself In 1854, the U.S Navy negotiated a trade treaty with Japan, and Yokohama became a commercial trading city By the late 19th century, Yokohama became the most international city in Japan After the city was severely damaged by the Great Kanto earthquake in September 1923, in the following decade, with the rise of heavy industries, factories were developed along reclaimed land to the north of the city to shape up the Keihin Industrial Area In the 1960s, Yokohama was a disconnected city, with the North linked to Tokyo by rail lines, the South was a center for businesses and local government, and the central waterfront area was largely occupied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Corporations shipbuilding dockyards and industrial functions Yokohama was regarded as a “huge suburban town” As such, urban planning concepts put a focus on the central waterfront areas as a place to reinforce a city center Three main objectives were to create an economically independent Yokohama, to improve port functions and transform the waterfront into a citizen’s harbor, and to decentralize Tokyo with respect to its official, commercial, and international conference functions In the 1970s, the city was able to successfully negotiate with Mitsubishi to relocate their shipyards, and formalized planning of the city was able to take off (A summary from Lin, 2007) In early 1980s, Yokohama City planned to create a new urban central area which connects existing urban areas, called Minato Mirai 21 (MM21) District Unlike the area around Yokohama Station and Kannai District, MM21 is a masterplan-based development (Yokohama City Urban Development Bureau, 2012) In 1984, the Minato Mirai 21 Corporation was established as a third sector organization (a hybrid of public and private sector) to coordinate a number of stakeholders and facilitate processes of the $20 billion project (Lin, 2007) Conducted as an urban renewal and reclaimed land project, the Port of Yokohama and industrial areas once separated the two city centers of Kannai and the Yokohama Station area With the development of Minato Mirai 21, the two city centers were linked and now form part of the business and central “core” of Yokohama The name "Minato Mirai 21" was selected by a public opinion poll and means "Port of the Future [in] the 21[st century]" (Wikipedia, 2018) In the early conceptual planning plans of the Minato Mirai area, the spatial organization of the whole district and desired spacious greenery, numerous cultural facilities, and preservation of historic buildings was considered A skyline was carefully tailored, and advanced technologies were showcased A grid street system was proposed, as opposed to the common labyrinth-like street networks of many Japanese towns With regards to traffic planning, the plans were focused on supporting vibrant urban activities and make streets safer and more comfortable for pedestrians while creating more attractive views The development took off and gradually flourished along with the economic and urban expansion boom during the early 1990s However, after the boom collapsed in 1996 and land prices dropped drastically, MM21 carried out economic incentive plans to keep projects moving and to encourage relocation of businesses to this area by reducing property and city planning tax MM21 also focused on constructing cultural facilities and open spaces to host large events to attract tourists from Japan and aboard, to attract investments into the city’s development, and to advertise the place to the world (Doo and Feliciano, Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies 2010) MM21 recovered its development momentum and continued to flourish as one of the newest urban business districts in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area (Fig.2) Today, it increasingly attracts tens of millions of visitors every year and is the work place of tens of millions of people Figure Minato Mirai in 1974-1978 (left) and 2007 (right) Source: Technical Report of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan In 2010, Yokohama was selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as one of four "NextGeneration Energy and Social System Demonstration Areas." Yokohama's aim is to be an energy-recycling city that is environmentally healthy, disaster resilient, and economically strong Through its Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP), the city has been working to provide a system which optimizes energy supply and demand at individual homes, commercial buildings and in urban areas, in collaboration with 34 companies (including Japan's leading energy companies, an electrical manufacturer, and construction companies) In 2015, a new public-private organization called the Yokohama Smart Business Association (YSBA) was founded to advance the project from demonstration to implementation (City of Yokohama homepage, 2016) Minato Mirai 21 is part of this project Research Execution and Findings The research is executed based on three key processes/inputs: 1) an extensive secondary data collection and analysis, 2) a short field survey (primarily walk-around observation) at popular public spaces, and 3) street interviews of random people who happen to be present at the public space at the time of the survey The research execution has revealed much insights about the two sites and their smart plus livable feature development processes 3.1 Kashiwa-no-ha Findings from secondary data analysis and the physical survey Confronted with various urban issues like the shrinking population, aging society, the environment, health, crime and disaster prevention, Japan has seen a need to renew itself by developing a new city model that represents a new image of the city and reflects changes in resident/user needs resulted by changing and diversifying lifestyles Housing a variety of Japan's prominent universities and public research institutes as well as many private enterprises, the Kashiwa-no-ha area has a potential to become a leading model of a new, advanced, world-class city Exploiting this potential would enable the creation of an independent and innovative city, which is able to generate its own vitality and culture as well as new industries In order to realize this potential, in 2006, the Urban Design Center Kashiwa-no-ha (UDCK) - an initiative led by Tokyo University - was founded In March 2008, the UDCK initiated to establish a strategic partnership between three key sectors was launched: public sector (Kashiwa City and Chiba Prefecture, private sector (Mitsui Real Estates as the key developer and many other enterprises, and residents and NPOs), and academia (Tokyo University, Chiba University) This partnership can help solve complex problems by collective strengths and efforts Stakeholders formulated Kashiwa-no-ha International Campus Town Initiative and set eight objectives and 27 policies as priority measures (Kashiwa-noha Campus Town Initiative Committee, 2014) in order to achieve an innovative, smart and sustainable model city Three key phrases as development concepts were adopted to help Japan fulfil its commitment to tackle challenges for its future as well as the urban future of the world: 1) an environment-friendly city, 2) a city of new industry creation, 3) a city of health and longevity (Fig 3) In December 2011, the Cabinet Office selected Kashiwa-no-ha as a Comprehensive Special Zone for Regional Revitalization and an Environmental Future City Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies Figure Kashi-wa-no-ha development’s vision and key concepts Source: Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Town Initiative Committee, 2014 Throughout the years, a number of initiatives have been conducted and a number of achievements have been made The first milestone was the establishment of the UDCK, the first of its kind of urban design center in Japan, which is broadly participated by seven constituents from local governments, private organizations, and universities Backed by a multi-sectoral, multi-level collaboration, the center promotes city development independent from the government administration and takes charge of carrying out part of planning and adjustment of city development It functions as a multi-purposed facility for everything from university lectures to town planning meetings and civic activities (Urban Design Center Kashiwa-no-ha, 2018) After starting its operation, the UDCK has taken numerous initiatives, projects, activities and events In 2009, the Park City Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Ichibangai the first project of the housing development of Kashiwanoha Campus City development was opened In the same year, the Tsujinaka Hospital Kashiwa-no-ha came to operation In 2011, the new development area was designated as a Comprehensive Special Zone and Region for developing environmental Future Cities by the Cabinet Office In the following year, the Nibangai was completed In 2014, the Gate Square was opened, which serve as the gateway, the center or the heart of the new development area Table summarizes the findings from secondary data analysis and physical survey Table Smart plus livable initiatives, features and programs in Kashiwa-no-ha Note: LR: Literature review source, PS: Physical survey source LR PS ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Initiatives /Features Location Urban Design Center Kashiwano-ha (UDCK) Gate Square, close by the train station Kashiwano-ha Internatio nal Campus Town Initiative Northwest part of the new town Brief description            Photographical record HARDWARE Multi-purposed facility for everything from lectures, town planning meetings to civic activities, participated by multiple sectors Promotes city development independently One-stop town information center Eight key objectives: Develop a garden city coexisting in harmony with the environment Deploy creative spaces Create international academic, educational, and cultural spaces Maintain a sustainable transport system Undertake approach that fosters health Manage the area through a public-privateacademic partnership Design high-quality urban spaces Develop a city that supports innovation Source: Authors Source: Kashiwa Administrative Office Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies ✓ ✓ State-oftheart Gate Square Gate Square   ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Gate Square is the core district, next to the train station , which integrates the environmental, healthcare, and new industry creation components It provides diverse lifestyle services across the key concepts Source: Authors Kashiwano-ha Smart Center & Area Energy Managem ent System (AEMS) Real-time energy monitorin g boards Gate Square, Hotel and Residences on the 2nd floor   Popular public spaces (e.g near train stations, bus stops, malls, etc.) Building roof-tops and other public spaces  Free socket and Wifi Central Plaza in Gateway Square  Electronic vehicle (EV) sharing system At three different places, such as next to KashiwanoHarappa  Passive cooling walls Resting benches near KashiwanoHarappa  Kashiwano-ha Open Innovation Lab (KOIL)  Renewabl e energy generator       The center oversees energy operations in the area, manages energy information during disasters, monitors electricity usage, disseminates information to help people conserve energy effectively, and ensures electricity sharing after disasters The system centralizes area energy usage and connects to renewable power sources It reduces power consumption by balancing demand-supply on a real-time basis People can read news and diverse info regarding traffic conditions, town planning, community events, real-time power consumption, provided by various agencies or organizations During disaster events, the boards broadcast emergency warning, evacuation information and real-time relevant data for town people The town utilizes solar and wind power, well and rain water, and other renewable sources of energy The town reduces CO2 emissions by drawing on waste biogas, exhaust heat from cogeneration systems, and other untapped energy Free Wi-Fi is available around this area Power points (sockets) are available at many public resting seats and most seats in restaurants or cafes around the station With this shared EV system called “Nissan LEAF”, users can return at any three ports around this area An EV power station is equipped with a “disaster prevention box”, which contains AC power point and portable lights During a disaster event, people can watch TV to get important info Benches are backed with special walls made of bars, which absorb and spread rain water into porcelain (good in permeability and transpiration), and evaporate it afterwards The walls deprive heat in the air and thereby cool down the surrounding environment (passive design pri Source: Kashiwa City Source: Authors Source: Authors Source: Authors Source: Authors Source: Authors Coworking space  It offers the largest co-working space in Japan (8000 m2, ca.170 seats), offices, a digital fabrication lab, a cafeteria where people, especially creative start-ups can mingle, explore business collaboration opportunities KOIL brings local community together, collectively generate ideas via interactions Source: Authors Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies ✓ ✓ Planter boxes Near the train stations  Town residents care for flowers, vegetables, and herbs in front of Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station, with guidance from instructors of Faculty of Horticulture, Chiba University Source: Authors ✓ ✓ Activities and events held at UDCK UDCK Kashiwano-ha Smart Health Project ASHITA Communit y Health Research Institute     ✓ Pop-up market Outside the train stations   ✓ Communi ty points program ✓ College linked program  Chiba University Campus   SOFTWARE Activities and events of various types and topics organized by and held in or outside the UDCK Most of the events attract multiple sectors and groups and involve the local community The project visualizes residents’ daily health by linking digital health devices with a health data analysis system that displays users’ health statuses on their PCs or smartphones Users can obtain detailed health info around the clock and health improvement advices “Marche Couleur”: Fresh vegetables from local farms and snacks are sold in colorful pop-up shops held monthly with a theme Morning market “Tanakanaka directly delivered from farms”: Held on every month’s 4th saturday, local farmers gather together and sell their fresh home-grown vegetables People can redeem community points they accumulate by participating in the town’s activities or in field tests for local programs or activities The points bond residents and cultivate their awareness of the environment and health, creativity, and interaction This lifelong learning program by Chiba University treats communities as an educational vehicle for various themes like environment, health, etc It aims to create an interactive teaching and learning platform that shares university students’ expertise and experiences of diverse people Source: Kashiwa City Source: Kashiwa City Source: Kashiwa City Source: Kashiwa City Source: Kashiwa City Source: Authors Data source: Compilation from Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Town Initiative Committee (2014), Kashiwa City (2015), Mitsui Fudosan (2014), Sawaji (2016) Findings from the street interviews The second component is street interviews of several random residents with the aim of finding insights, stories, perception, opinions or feedbacks of residents about those smart features The interviews were conducted in Kashiwa-no-ha (Fig 4), and none was conducted in MM21 In Kashiwa-no-ha, most of the interviewees praised the comfortability, convenience and accessibility of the new town (which contributes to livability), many family-friendly places and well-organized community events (especially around the station), as well as the smart energy monitoring system at their home and neighborhood Many essential services such as train stations, shopping malls, supermarkets, a hospital and clinics, schools and kindergartens, and more are located within a short walking distance They also recommended Kashiwa-no-ha Park next to Chiba University Campus as one of the best public spaces in the area for family activities, picnic and camping, sports activities, social interaction and community bonding However, all of them were not so aware about the concept of “smart city” and its associated smart features Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies Figure A scene of street interview Source: Authors More specifically, another good park is Kashiwa-no-Harappa (as recommended by Ms Y in her 30s) Located outside the west exit of Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station, Kashiwa-no-Harappa is a place where residents, workers, and visitors can relax on the lush lawn, have a picnic lunch, and even enjoy occasional concerts The area also serves as an evacuation assembly site The new town seems to be a good place to raise children (according to Ms F., in her 30s, housewife) According to two long-time local residents - Mr T in his 60s, photographer, and Mr O., 19, student - it is felt that the town is getting to become more lively and comfortable to live in than before Besides the above places, many young people often go to the T-SITE (name of a small shopping mall) as well Also, the free Wifi service around the Gateway Square offered by the city is evaluated as useful, but not many people notice it The eco-point system, in which points are earned by various ways such as participation in town activities like street cleaning, and then can be redeemed for shopping, is evaluated as useful by many people A proper interview with Ms N., a staff of Mitsui Fudosan - the key developer of Kashiwa-no-ha, has provided more detailed information and insights as follows:       The key concept here is that three important sectors - public (local authorities), private (companies) and academic (Tokyo University and Chiba University) - come together, build an innovative and strategic partnership Based on this, stakeholders have made numerous initiatives to realize a holistically smart, livable and sustainable town, which - in their ambitious plan - may become a model town for the world The meaning of “smart” is usually conceived as “high-technology”, but the concept of “smart” here is somehow different The most important goal here is how to solve issues “smartly” taking into account the future development until 2030 The UDCK located at the Gateway Square is a one-stop center to involve and provide residents and visitors all sorts of town information, and many community activities are held there There is an innovative co-point system for town people called “Kashiwa-no-ha points” Residents can earn them through participating in town activities like cleaning up their neighborhood They then can redeem the points at shopping facilities or donate to the town The Smart Center, which is located on the second floor of the Mitsui Building, monitors electricity usage in residences, commercial facilities, offices, and other locations and then disseminates information to help people living and working in the area monitor and conserve energy effectively As a co-working space, the KOIL center attracts start-up owners, employees and visitors with top-notched facilities such as a 170 seat co-working space, other small meeting rooms, library, drink and interaction corners, printing services, etc To date, there are about 220 registered members 3.2 Minato Mirai 21 Findings from secondary data analysis and physical survey In 2010, Yokohama City was selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as one of the four "Next-Generation Energy and Social System Demonstration Areas" Through its Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP), the city works with 34 companies to provide a system which optimizes energy supply and demand at individual homes, commercial buildings and in urban areas, in cooperation Those companies include Japan's leading energy company, an electrical manufacturer, and construction companies Yokohama aims to be an energy-recycling city that is environmentally robust, resistant to disasters, and economically strong The YSCP project has an ambitious vision, in which it “will pioneer the establishment of the world’s best smart city model in the City of Yokohama which is an advanced city with a population of 3.7 million people The Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies Yokohama-model solutions will then be exported to cities overseas” This is a model of public-private partnership, in which the city is responsible for land reclamation, land adjustment, and construction of infrastructure and public facilities, while private companies take care of investing in business and housing developments after the infrastructure was built, and MM21 is responsible for planning of the project and operation of public facilities The project’s objectives are to reach CO2 reduction target of 30% by 2025, to develop smart houses and Electric Vehicles (EVs) and deploy Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) with citizen participation, demonstrated in the following existing urban districts: Minato Mirai 21 area, Kohoku New Town area and Yokohama Green Valley area (City of Yokohama, 2016) During the demonstration period from 2010-2014, through the YSCP project, Yokohama successfully implemented HEMS, BEMS/FEMS (Building/Factory Energy Management System), SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), and EV (Electric Vehicle) HEMS was of largest scale among them and it allowed the users to know exactly how much energy their house was using to improve the energy-saving features and promote ecological renovation It was introduced to 4,200 households within the city and performed experiments for 3,500 of them It has been proven that living in a super-insulated house is comfortable yet energy-saving and eco-friendly, and living in solar-powered home could benefit a 15.2% peak cut at most In 2015, a new publicprivate body called the Yokohama Smart Business Association (YSBA) was established to advance the project from demonstration to implementation (City of Yokohama, 2016) Table summarizes the findings from secondary data analysis and physical survey Table Smart plus livable initiatives, features and programs in Minato Mirai 21 LR PS ✓ Yokohama Green Valley ✓ ✓ Feature ✓ Location Yokohama ’s coastal areas  Home Energy Management System (HEMS), and Community Energy Management System (CEMS) MM 21, Kohoku New Town, Yokohama Green Valley  Solar and wind power generation At different buildings’ top     ✓ ✓ ✓ Charge and Discharge enabled EVs MM 21, Kohoku New Town, Yokohama Green Valley  E-bike sharing system (called Bay Bike) Popular public spaces   Brief description HARDWARE Vision: a pioneer area for renewable energy technology Pilot area: Kanazawa Ward, which has all typical elements of Yokohama City (residential and industrial estates, green and sea spaces, public spaces and facilities, etc.) HEMS: Combined patterns of multiple PV and energy saving solutions in homes (e.g through reforming and/or insulating materials) CEMS: Absorbs power output fluctuation from renewables by integrating stationary battery with HEMS and BEMS Solar panels have been installed atop some commercial and office buildings to generate solar energy to supplement the grid power Small-scale wind turbines were deployed in some buildings Photographical record Source: City of Yokohama Source: City of Yokohama(2015b) Source: Authors The systems increase usage of solar power and lower EV CO2 footprint by developing Charge and Discharge Enabled EVs that can be leveraged as clean energy storage in the three areas The bike sharing system was first demonstrated in Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) in 2011-2013 and then implemented as a bike sharing system since 2014 People can rent a bike at docking station and return in at any other station within the designated area Source: City of Yokohama (2011) Source: Authors Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies ✓ ✓ ✓ Hybrid street lights (wind and solar) Advanced high tide and tsunami countermeasure s Along a central pedestrian boulevard and along the bay side  Along the bay side    ✓ ✓ ✓ Green space network, green rooftops and walls Concentrat ed at the bay area as well as along main axes  ✓ Natural cooling effect Grand Mall Park  ✓ Urban cooling elements Along a central pedestrian boulevard and around the Grand Mall Park4  ✓ District heating and cooling system MM21 districtwide     ✓ ✓ The hybrid power system (wind and solar) can store the generated energy using batteries, to light up street lights and LED illumination This system can be installed in offgrid areas or can supply electricity in the event of a disaster Construction of revetment (2.7m3.1m) and provision of numerous signs and tsunami evacuation info boards These boards display maps which offer a barcode for viewers to access websites and browse tsunami and evacuation information with their smart phone Abundance of green spaces at waterfront areas (with promenades) and along three main axes Efforts to create four-season image through the greenery have been seen High-level greening in and around public spaces has also been promoted Shade from Zelkova trees and evaporating water from the moisture retaining brick pavement along with wind circulation all make the surrounding environment cooler (Summery from information boards placed at the park) The stone “fountain” boxes provide landscape and micro-climate effects A water cycle is created by covering with crushed stone which can store rainwater and cycle water stream vertically for ca.700 m underground Combining rainwater with planting soil, water retentive pavement, and street furniture enables to make those places cooler and livelier District-wide heating and cooling system that centralizes the production, supply and control of processed air Improved energy usage efficiency minimized pollution and accidents Source: Authors Source: Authors Source: Authors Source: Authors Source: Authors Source: City of Yokohama (2018) “Smart” pavement Sakuradori and, and Grand Mall Park   Sakura-dori Street and Keyaki-dori Street applied heat shielding pavement coated with heat-reflective material to limit surface temperature Some facilities adopt water-retentive paving & permeable paving In the Grand Mall Park, “Yakoukai pavement” was adopted, which emits light like Noctiluca Source: Authors The Grand Mall Park is a very long park running through the Minato Mirai Central Area from north to south from between Landmark Plaza and Queen’s Square to Shin-takashima station, and thus, being a popular walking course Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies ✓ ✓ Pedestrian network In and outside MM21   ✓ Utility tunnels Under main traffic arteries      MM 21 contains diverse pedestrian spaces built around three main axes: Queen axis, King axis and their linking Grand Mall axis Pedestrian overpasses, underpasses have been developed These routes form a pedestrian network that offers good accessibility and comfort Shared utility services Effective underground utilization Improved disaster resilience Saved costs for maintenance Improved urbanscape Source: Authors space Source: City of Yokohama (2018) Emergency underground water tanks   Designed to store drinking water underground for special use in the event of a disaster These tanks are connected to conventional water pipes to maintain their water capacity Source: City of Yokohama (2015) ✓ SOFTWARE Citizen empowering in environmental goals MM21 districtwide       ✓ Guidelines for urban landscape MM21   “Yokohama Eco Katsu” (“Yokohama Eco Activities) slogan is promoted Numerous efforts to mobilize local citizens to save energy at home, office or school are made Through citizens, solar panels at home, office or school are promoted Citizens, private companies co-fund “Hama Wing” wind power project A brand called “Yokohama Eco Schools” (YES) is promoted And schoolchildren became “EnergySaving Leaders” in their family Used cooking oil from homes was turned to bio-diesel fuel These guidelines are to improve urban landscape based on rules and acts There are numerous topics, such as pedestrian space, car park, bicycle parking, colors, night-time lighting, architectural design, skyline, roadside landscape, outdoor advertisement, etc Source: City of Yokohama Source: City of Yokohama(2016b) Note: LR: Literature review; PS: Physical survey Source: Authors Data sources: Compilation from City of Yokohama (2018), (2014), and (2015) Tapping on the momentum of the YSCP, the city has launched the Minato Mirai 2050 Project This project aims to make this district become “the Smartest Future City that fascinates the world”, a low carbon district where the energy-related, most advanced technologies are adopted The development of the city will also involve a Business Continuity Plan The project’s vision includes: 1) an innovative and creativity cultural creative city, 2) an eco-city filled with pure water, greenery, and rich history, and 3) a disaster-resilient city Four key fields to be enhanced are energy, greenery, activity and eco-mobility In March 2015, Yokohama City formulated “The Mitato Mirai 2050 Action Plan” Figure summarizes key features regarding the four key fields Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies Figure Four key fields in Minato Mirai 2050 Project Source: Modified from City of Yokohama (2015) Discussions and conclusion Upon analysing and synthesizing all the findings, several important key words for planning and designing public space in smart and livable districts can be derived They include “shared” (shared space, resources, energy, mobility, time, information, etc.), “hybrid” or mixed use (hybrid systems, multi-functional, mixed-used), “efficient”, “eco design” (passive cooling systems, ecological elements, etc.), “inclusive” (suitable for multigenerational and multi-sectoral users), “participatory” (multi-sectoral, multi-level participation), “safe” (safe from crime and from accidents) and “comfortable” Finally, basis on the outcomes from the study, we propose a schematic diagram for planning and designing public space in smart plus livable districts (Figure 6) The diagram demonstrates the step-based flow from urban key issues to a new approach and a new vision, followed by elaborated planning and design strategies to achieve Smart plus Livable Districts Figure Public space planning and design strategies in “smart plus livable” districts Source: Authors Proceedings of 2018 International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies In conclusion, the discourse on smart city has indicated that, along with a clear emphasis on advanced technologies, there is a rising interest to incorporate the livability and sustainability dimension into the technological and digital advancement of the Smart City concept In order to achieve this “smart plus livable” city model, the paper argues that it is important to pay attention to public space and the district or neighborhood scale, as public space at this scale is intimate to the local people and directly facilitates their daily, ordinary social life, interactions, joint activities and so on To plan and design smart and livable public space at the district scale, the diverse findings from the two successful demonstration case studies have revealed and suggested to planners, urban designers and other stakeholders to consider the following keywords: 1) shared, 2) hybrid and/or mixed use, 3) efficient, 4) eco design, 5) inclusive and/or participatory, and 6) safe and/or comfortable Once the “smart plus livable” concept is successfully promoted at the district level and the districts are well networked, it is possible to promote the concept to the city level and beyond towards a better and sustainable 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In other words, a holistic approach shall be well considered and adopted, which goes beyond solely technologically smart to... Discussions and conclusion Upon analysing and synthesizing all the findings, several important key words for planning and designing public space in smart and livable districts can be derived They