Living Environment Innovation Project

What happens when all kinds of people feel invited, welcomed, and safe in new public spaces?
I think that a livable city is one that offers a variety of attractions and opportunities for people to work, live, play learn, visit and invest. A livable city puts public life at the center of its planning, strengthened by an overall focus on liveliness, health, attractiveness, sustainability and safety. Establishing a range of health, lifestyle benefits and promotes confidence in economic growth.

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Chiba city is located about 40 kilometers from the center of Tokyo, which takes about 40 minutes by train. In 1873, Chiba City was designated as the seat of Chiba prefectural government. As a result, Chiba city became the area’s political, cultural, economic and traffic center, and began to make a modern city.

In 1945, a large portion of the city’s urban districts was reduced to ashes by aerial bombing. In 1946, special legislation aimed at post-war reconstruction was enacted and by 1948, Chiba City had prepared a comprehensive reconstruction project. Now, Chiba city’s urban planning is focused on implementing the “Chiba comprehensive plan” adopted in 1991.

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Downtown Chiba is an area where the most economic activity is active in Chiba city. Many Japan cities will experience sudden population declines in the future, and it is also the same situation in downtown Chiba. For example, Chiba Parco is a large commercial facility for young customers, and Mitsukoshi Chiba is also a large commercial facility for mostly middle-aged customers in downtown Chiba. However, Chiba Parco was closed November 2016, and Mitsukoshi Chiba was closed in March 2017. As a result, there is concern about depressed of the economic activities in downtown Chiba and the decline of the Chiba City.

In order to reduce the decline in population to the decline of the city, it is important to create a local culture and new urban life and change into a society that enhances the sense of the life of the people.

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The field of LEI project 2017 in Japan is Downtown Chiba, and the theme is public life in downtown Chiba for making a new vision for urban life. For this theme, I make a hypothesis that good place ensures good integration between public space and public life. Based on this hypothesis, we are studying the economic impact and social impact of an urban street, plaza, public space, human behavior, and urban design process in Downtown Chiba. In addition, we discuss to the collaboration system across the community, government agencies, and the private sector.