Developing Co-creative Urban Development Based on Urban Living Labs | Wanglin Yan, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
2024.11.05
In this article, I will report on the Urban Living Lab in which the Yan Lab participated, and discuss the approach and development of co-creative urban development using digital technologies centered on GIS.
Participation in Co-creative Urban Development
Modern cities face a variety of complex challenges, including population concentration, traffic congestion, climate change adaptation, and sustainable housing. Because these issues involve various stakeholders, it is considered difficult to find solutions through academic research alone. Urban development often seeks solutions through co-creative approaches where diverse local actors collaborate. Urban Living Labs (ULLs) are gaining global attention as hubs for co-creative urban development.
ULLs are platforms where governments, companies, research institutions, communities, and citizens can jointly plan, design, and experiment with products and solutions, treating the city as a "living laboratory." They first emerged in the United States in the 1990s, then spread to Northern Europe and globally, and it is said that there are now over 400 established worldwide. In Japan, the first was established in Fujisawa City in the late 2000s. Subsequently, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX) incorporated activities related to "Designing a New Aged Society Created by the Community," and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) incorporated activities related to "Healthcare" as ULLs.
The motto of ULLs is "Co-Design," "Co-Produce," and "Co-Delivery." In urban development, in addition to product planning and testing, this includes soft initiatives such as urban regeneration, improvement of the living environment, and enhancement of well-being. Examples include Living Lab Kamakura, Tokyu WISE Living Lab, and Tokyo Tatemono City Lab.
As part of the JST/Belmont Forum international collaborative research project "Sustainable Urbanisation Global Initiative—Food-Water-Energy Nexus" (SUGI), the Yan Lab has participated in the Tokyu WISE Living Lab since 2018. Through the food-water-energy nexus, we have joined the co-creative projects of the Tokyu WISE Living Lab and have been jointly researching the decarbonization and sustainability of suburban towns. Based on these activities, on June 15, 2024, we planned and held the 27th Regional Symposium of the Japanese Society of Environmental Symbiosis, titled "Co-creation of Sustainable Suburban Towns," in Aoba Ward, Yokohama City (Figure 1). Eighty people participated, making it an opportunity to share and learn about how to advance co-creative urban development.
Development of Urban Development Methods Using GIS
In 2018, at the request of a local urban development organization, the Keio Research Institute at SFC established the " Lab for Future Town Design " near Oimachi Station in Shinagawa Ward. Based in Oimachi, this lab develops research projects that practice future urban development from a complex perspective encompassing the environment, architecture, urban planning, technology, and community.
Oimachi is well-located—one stop from the Shinagawa subcenter, about 20 minutes to Haneda Airport, and about 20 minutes to suburban residential areas—and plays an important role as a gateway to Tokyo. JR East is constructing a massive office building in the Hiromachi area, scheduled to open at the end of fiscal year 2025. This is expected to transform the area into a business hub for the South Tokyo area. Nevertheless, local residents, including families with children, account for half of the daytime population. Meanwhile, the concentration of commercial facilities related to daily life in front of Oimachi Station suggests that the area also plays a crucial role as a hub for daily living.
At the "Lab for Future Town Design," the Yan Lab is working to create a livable and workable urban environment to achieve SDG 11. In particular, we have focused on developing participatory urban development methods using GIS, emphasizing the improvement of the pedestrian and barrier-free environments. This method supports the development of co-creative urban development utilizing digital technologies, following a process of observation, inspection, measurement, design, and information sharing (Figure 2).
Although in-person activities were temporarily restricted due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued our activities through online workshops and small-group fieldwork.
Evolution into the Future City Design School
The main actors in urban development are local residents, companies, and businesses. On the other hand, the sustained participation of universities is also highly significant. By linking educational activities in the classroom with the practice of urban development in living labs, the accumulation and transmission of knowledge are promoted. Furthermore, evidence-based scientific verification and support enable higher-level research and practice through design workshops and resident workshops.
Recently, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government issued a call for proposals for the " FY2024 Project for Creating Advanced Smart Tokyo Case Studies Led by Local Communities ." The Keio Research Institute at SFC, together with Shinagawa Ward and the NPO Machi-Zukuri Ooi, submitted a proposal on the theme of "Digital Area Design in Oimachi: From a Walkable Town to a Town You Want to Walk In," which was selected.
In response, we established the "Future City Design School" (FCDS) consortium, based in Oimachi. At FCDS, we will learn the theory and practice of urban development, enhance the walkability of urban spaces, and propose future-oriented urban development models. We also aim to expand our research outcomes in the latter half of the project by collaborating with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Machinaka Walkable Promotion Program," the 3D digital city project "Plateau," and the Tokyo Data Platform (TDPF) (Figure 3).
The above has introduced three case studies of Urban Living Labs in which the Yan Lab has been involved, following the three stages of participation, development, and expansion. At SFC, many laboratories have adopted such practical educational and research approaches, and I believe each has excellent methods and achievements. I hope that we can learn from each other through opportunities for exchange, such as study groups and presentations, and develop a methodology for a co-creative approach that is characteristic of SFC.