{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"Toyota to build prototype city of the future - the Woven City","date":"2020-01-07 11:20:55","id":1920,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2020/01/1578367741631_20200107_01_01.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

Toyota has just revealed its plans to build a prototype ‘city’ of the future on a 175-acre site at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. Called the Woven City, the development will be a fully connected ecosystem powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

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Envisioned as a ‘living laboratory,’ the Woven City will serve as a home to full-time residents and researchers who will be able to test and develop technologies such as autonomy, robotics, personal mobility, smart homes and artificial intelligence (AI) in a real-world environment.

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“Building a complete city from the ground up, even on a small scale like this, is a unique opportunity to develop future technologies, including a digital operating system for the city’s infrastructure. With people, buildings and vehicles all connected and communicating with each other through data and sensors, we will be able to test connected AI technology... in both the virtual and the physical realms... maximising its potential,” said Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation.

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According to Toyota, the company will extend an open invitation to collaborate with other commercial and academic partners and invite interested scientists and researchers from around the world to come work on their own projects in this one-of-a-kind, real-world incubator.

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“We welcome all those inspired to improve the way we live in the future, to take advantage of this unique research ecosystem and join us in our quest to create an ever-better way of life and mobility for all,” said Mr Toyoda.

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For the design of Woven City, Toyota has commissioned Danish architect, Bjarke Ingels, CEO of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). “A swarm of different technologies are beginning to radically change how we inhabit and navigate our cities. Connected, autonomous, emission-free and shared mobility solutions are bound to unleash a world of opportunities for new forms of urban life. With the breadth of technologies and industries that we have been able to access and collaborate with from the Toyota ecosystem of companies, we believe we have a unique opportunity to explore new forms of urbanity with the Woven City that could pave new paths for other cities to explore,” said Mr Ingels.

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Design of the city

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The masterplan of the city includes the designations for street usage into three types: for faster vehicles only; for a mix of lower speed, personal mobility and pedestrians; and for a park-like promenade for pedestrians only. These three street types weave together to form an organic grid pattern to help accelerate the testing of autonomy.

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The city is planned to be fully sustainable, with buildings made mostly of wood to minimise the carbon footprint, using traditional Japanese wood joinery, combined with robotic production methods. The rooftops will be covered in photo-voltaic panels to generate solar power in addition to power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Toyota plans to weave in the outdoors throughout the city, with native vegetation and hydroponics.

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Residences will be equipped with the latest in human support technologies, such as in-home robotics to assist with daily living. The homes will use sensor-based AI to check occupants’ health, take care of basic needs and enhance daily life, creating an opportunity to deploy connected technology with integrity and trust, securely and positively.

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To move residents through the city, only fully-autonomous, zero-emission vehicles will be allowed on the main thoroughfares. In and throughout Woven City, autonomous Toyota e-palettes will be used for transportation and deliveries, as well as for changeable mobile retail.

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Both neighbourhood parks and a large central park for recreation, as well as a central plaza for social gatherings, are designed to bring the community together. Toyota believes that encouraging human connection will be an equally important aspect of this experience.

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Toyota plans to populate Woven City with Toyota Motor Corporation employees and their families, retired couples, retailers, visiting scientists, and industry partners. The plan is for 2,000 people to start, adding more as the project evolves.

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The groundbreaking for the site is scheduled to take place in early 2021.

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Any parties interested in partnering with Toyota on the development of Woven City, please check: woven-city.global

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All images: Bjarke Ingels Group

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Mori Building Co Ltd has begun work on the Toranomon-Azabudai District Category 1 Urban Redevelopment Project in central Tokyo, Japan. It is scheduled for completion in March 2023.

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The massive development, totalling approximately JPY 580 billion, will cover an area of approximately 8.1 ha. It will have 213,900 sq m of office space, 1,400 residential units, retail facilities with around 150 shops, a 120-room hotel, an international school (approximately 14,000 sq m), and about 9,000 sq m of cultural facilities. Some 25-30 million people per year are expected to visit this new district.

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The Toranomon-Azabudai Project will incorporate cutting-edge seismic designs and technologies, with dedicated power stations supplying electricity to the whole neighbourhood, said Mori Building. It is designed to provide a safe city that will allow people to carry on living and working even in the event of a major disaster on the scale of the Great East Japan Earthquake. “The unsurpassed safety and security measures are designed to create cities to escape to, rather than flee from,” stated the company.

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The highlight of the project is a large 6,000 sq m central square. A significant proportion of this site, including areas on top of podium buildings, will be covered with greenery to take advantage of the stepped architecture. There will be more than 2 ha of green space creating a seamless urban oasis filled with trees, flowers and waterscapes.

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The electricity supplied to the entire neighbourhood will be from renewable sources, which will meet the targets stipulated in the RE100 international environmental initiative led by the UK’s Climate Group, according to Mori Building. The company would apply for project certification under the WELL Building Standard of the International WELL Building Institute.

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The public realm and lower level architecture were designed by Heatherwick Studio from the UK, led by Thomas Heatherwick, the designer and creator of the London 2012 Olympic Cauldron. The three skyscrapers were designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects from the US under the direction of the late César Pelli and Fred Clarke. The retail space was designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects of Japan, led by Sou Fujimoto.

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The Toranomon-Azabudai Project is situated adjacent to Mori Building’s ARK Hills complex at the midpoint between Roppongi Hills and Toranomon Hills.

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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved loans totalling US$150 million to finance crucial infrastructure such as roads and drains and build capacity in two densely populated and fast-growing city regions of Bangladesh, Dhaka and Khulna.

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“City region development can improve living conditions by relieving congestion in the core city and promoting growth through planning, institutional development, and infrastructure investments across administrative boundaries,” said Alexandra Vogl, ADB senior urban development specialist. “ADB’s Second City Region Development Project will make investments in several municipalities throughout the two city regions to promote easier mobility for the residents, greater flood resilience, improved solid waste management, and generally a better life for all in the project areas.”

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A ‘city region’ is an agglomeration of a large city with its surrounding pourashavas (secondary towns) and adjacent peri-urban areas in upazilas (subdistricts).

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ADB launched a first City Region Development Project in 2010 backed by a US$120 million loan to upgrade roads, bridges, and bus terminals; improve storm drains to reduce flooding; and upgrade water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management. The second project – that was just approved - builds on the lessons learned and past gains in community awareness, institutional capacity, and coordination among municipalities. Investments will be based on priorities identified in regional development plans for the two city regions.

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The project will support the rehabilitation of 300 km of urban roads in the Dhaka city region and 30 km of drains around Dhaka and 120 km around Khulna. It will also fund the preparation of an integrated solid waste management plan including the construction of a composting plant for Khulna.

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To strengthen capacity, the project will help identify priority investments, prepare or update various plans, and provide training in pourashavas and city corporations in integrated urban planning, sustainable service delivery, and operation and maintenance of urban infrastructure. To reduce startup delays for future projects, support for the preparation of detailed engineering designs for investments involving the latest technologies and smart applications will be provided. This will include integrated real-time data platforms and sensors, advanced building materials, and geotechnical engineering. The project will also conduct community awareness campaigns on reducing, reusing, and recycling solid waste.

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ADB’s finance comes in the form of a regular loan of US$75 million and a concessional loan for the same amount. The Government of Bangladesh will provide financing of US$73 million toward the US$223 million total cost of the project, which is due to be completed by the end of June 2024.

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Surbana Jurong has signed an agreement with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport and Urban Development (JOIN) to deliver the New Clark City project in the Philippines.

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Surbana Jurong has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport and Urban Development (JOIN) to deliver the New Clark City project in the Philippines. Under the agreement, Surbana Jurong will assist BCDA and JOIN in drafting the development management framework, design standard guidelines and environmental guidelines to complement the masterplan of the project.

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This collaboration marks the full implementation of New Clark City anchored on the Comprehensive Master Development Plan developed by BCDA and JOIN, in partnership with urban planning and engineering firms AECOM, Nippon Koei and Philkoei International.

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Surbana Jurong will also help in utilising public-private partnerships to entice investors to New Clark City. It will also advise in the implementation plan of pioneer developers in New Clark City such as Filinvest Land, Inc.’s mixed-use industrial real estate developments, and MTD Capital Berhad’s National Government Administrative Centre. Surbana Jurong will establish the framework of a smart city concept that will have fully integrated infrastructure and utilities for power, water, sewerage, information and communication technology (ICT), security and traffic management.

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At the same time, JOIN’s president and CEO Takuma Hatano recognised the significance of the Manila-Clark Railway (PNR North Railway) project in developing New Clark City as one of Japan’s biggest projects in the Philippines. The 106-km alignment will connect Tutuban, Manila to the Clark International Airport and New Clark City. “The railway will immensely benefit commuters as it will cut down travel time from Manila to Clark in an hour, from the current 2-3 hours’ travel time,” he said, and added that the railway is designed to accommodate around 350,000 passengers per day.

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The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2021. The Manila-Clark Railway is being implemented by the Department of Transportation in partnership with BCDA, and will be funded through Japan’s official development assistance. The feasibility study and the detailed engineering design for the railway will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

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The 9,450-ha New Clark City is envisioned to be a new metropolis that will rise in the Clark Special Economic Zone, in Capas and Bamban, Tarlac. It is designed to be the country’s first smart, green, disaster-resilient city, where nature, lifestyle, business, education and industries converge, and will be at par with other modern cities in the world.

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New Clark City will feature mixed-use real estate developments for housing, a business continuity centre that would also house national government agencies, an agro-industrial park and an international food market. The city will have wide pedestrian lanes, exclusive bicycle lanes, and an integrated mass transit lane. Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed in 2022.

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Image: Surbana Jurong

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