Toward the Next Stage | Yoshinori Iisagai, Director, Keio Research Institute at SFC
June 7, 2022
Are you aware that the environment surrounding SFC is about to change dramatically? In 2013, the Samukawa-kita Interchange on the Ken-O Expressway (Metropolitan Inter-City Expressway) was opened. In March 2021, the Ayase Smart Interchange on the Tomei Expressway was completed. This has significantly improved access from the city center. Furthermore, the road from the campus to Shonandai Station (the Endo-Takakura Line) is planned to be widened, which is expected to alleviate traffic congestion.
Miraisozojuku (Institute for Designing the Future) is also a symbolic presence that signifies the development of SFC. In fiscal year 2020, all seven buildings of the "β Village" residential education and research hub , established under the concept of "creating the future campus ourselves," were completed. Currently, the construction of the Η (Eta) Village Student Dormitory is progressing smoothly. In addition, the Shonan Fujisawa International Student Dormitory opened in March 2021, right next to the Miraisozojuku site. From now on, the population of visitors and residents in the area around SFC will certainly increase.
Furthermore, the "Forest of Health and Culture" district around SFC is planned to be incorporated into an urbanization promotion area around the end of fiscal year 2023, and various measures related to community development are currently under consideration. The area is located along the road from SFC to around the Shobuzawa-sakai intersection and covers approximately 36 hectares (for reference, the SFC campus, including Miraisozojuku, is about 34.4 hectares). Within this area, a residential population of about 3,000 people is anticipated. The development of this Forest of Health and Culture district is positioned as one of the "priority initiatives" in Fujisawa City's " FY2022 Municipal Government Policy ." The concept for this community development is "FUJISAWA LIFE INNOVATION BASE: Aiming to create infinite possibilities as a new hub for Fujisawa City and realize a new community development for the future." So far, the overall direction for the district has been presented, and commercialization study partners, a group of companies that will jointly promote the project, have been selected.
The overall zoning is currently under discussion. First, there is a plan to establish a new station on the extended Sotetsu Izumino Line near the Endo-Yamazaki intersection (the T-junction leading to Tsujido, near the Fujisawa Keio-mae Post Office). A station plaza and commercial and residential zones are planned around the station. From the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care to the bus rotary area, residential, commercial, and community facility zones are scheduled to be arranged. Additionally, the entire area south of the road from the Endo-Yamazaki intersection to around the Shobuzawa-sakai intersection is being considered as an industrial zone.
On the way to campus, just past the Shobuzawa-sakai intersection, the richness of the greenery is captivating. Even just saying "green," there are various shades, from light yellowish-green (hana-moegi) to deep blue-green (shinpeki), and the scenery shows a different face in each of the four seasons. When you can see Mt. Fuji shrouded in snow beyond that greenery, it's a refreshing feeling. The people of this district and Fujisawa City have high expectations for the creation of a new, one-of-a-kind campus town that harmonizes SFC's diverse and advanced research achievements while leveraging this beautiful and rich natural environment.
The first step in any community development activity is a very small one. It will be important to first increase some form of practical application in the Forest of Health and Culture district and expand the relationship with the university. We are currently taking measures to achieve this. Then, it is crucial to create a mechanism where diverse people from the Forest of Health and Culture district, both inside and outside SFC, can gather, actively interact, and continuously generate unexpected new activities, values, and interesting things characteristic of SFC.
Since its establishment in 1990, SFC has led social transformation while achieving various innovations. The development of the Forest of Health and Culture district this time is a golden opportunity for SFC to advance to its next stage. What is needed is the creation of a unique, co-creative community (campus) where diverse actors can learn from each other, benefiting both the local region and SFC. To achieve this, we must engage in repeated discussion and practice with the same pioneering spirit (jiga-sakko) as when the campus was first founded. The specific details of the community development are just now beginning to be examined. I sincerely ask for everyone's understanding and cooperation.