Urban Regeneration: Building Sustainable Societies - Event Report
In 2023, Tokyo stood as one of the world's most densely populated cities, hosting around 37 million residents within its greater metropolis area. While this population boom presents Tokyo with unique challenges, it reflects a broader global trend. Urbanisation rates in Tokyo have soared to an astonishing 91.7%, leaving just a fraction of Japan's population residing in rural areas, which on the other hand, were suffering a rapidly declining rate.
This trend isn't exclusive to Tokyo. By 2050, projections indicate that two-thirds of the world's population will be urban dwellers. Cities, despite covering only 3% of the Earth's surface, drive 80% of energy consumption and contribute a staggering 75% of carbon emissions. Astonishingly, cities generate a colossal 3.4 billion tons of solid waste annually!
Recognizing the urgency of addressing mass urbanisation, Social Impact Lab Japan held the "Urban Regeneration: Building Sustainable Societies" on December 21st, as a platform to amplify awareness and glean insights from industry experts, fostering innovative solutions to tackle these challenges through a collaborative workshop.
Panelists & Discussion
After our Founder and CEO Priya Sultan gave a greeting speech to our audience, SILJ was joined by a group of incredible professionals for the event, including;
Hajime Mori, the ambassador of Minato City’s Board of Tourism
Stuart Kay, co-founder and managing director at GreenPlace
Riela Provi Drianda, associate professor at Waseda University
David U. Socol De La Osa, assistant professor at Hitotsubashi University
The panelists were given the stage to briefly present their professional backgrounds and work in the field of urban development, regeneration, and planning.
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
Mr. David discussed the complexity of urban design that’s needed to be in place for maintaining a sustainable living environment, including which key resources need to be distributed and developed in the community that can help people thrive. As energy security is an issue, Mr. Mori, who had extensive working experience in the energy sector, referred to the challenge of reducing carbon emission in Japan, and offered the solution to use renewable energy to revitalise rural areas with new job opportunities.
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
While Mr. Kay shared critical perspectives on governmental infrastructure in meeting the needs of local residents, he also offered his diverse insights in real estate development, financial management for decarbonization for large scale projects that could be beneficial to the regenerative efforts. As Japan is facing multiple challenges with a growing ageing population and a drain of young workers, in addition, Professor. Drianda discussed the loss of employment opportunities in rural areas that affects the younger generation, while introducing the work of her students - Machigo, a potential solution for promoting cultural tourism through travel kits.
The panellists were given a chance to further explore the role of urban designers, social entrepreneurs, and policy makers in responding to new emerging trends of urbanisation, pressing the urgency for all stakeholders to take actions.
As Mr. David aptly put, “The challenge is holding back a tide that is inevitable.”
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
Within the panel discussion and open Q&A session with the audience, both Professor Drianda and Mr. Kay emphasized that in order to revitalise rural areas and create sustainable lifestyles that don’t require movement into metropolitan areas, the public and private sector must centralise focus on the needs and wants of the youth.
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
In response, Mr. Kay added, “We always think from the perspective of urban designers - but it’s time to provide spaces for young people to define their future. One of the key things about urban design is public consultation, that is; understanding the client”
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
As Mr. Mori stated, “Rural revitalization is the most important focus in Japan now.”
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
Workshop
The panellist discussion provided the perfect leverage for us to move on to the special workshop for the audience. The spotlight now turned to those who had been patiently learning from our professional guests; our audience was given the chance to showcase their own understanding of the discussion and greater theme of urban regeneration. A total of six teams were created, each given 30 minutes to prepare a short, 2-minute pitch for their innovative ideas on how to improve business services, or policy changes in the area that they were particularly interested in.
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
The responses and pitches from each team were diverse and incredibly creative - such as smart city agriculture, customised technology to manage delivery of packages, community empowerment initiatives such as city pop-ups for rural businesses, and urban-rural exchange programs.
Each idea stood as a testament to the success of the event - members of each time, coming from different backgrounds and areas of study, were able to come together to collaborate and curate ideas from every aspect of urban development and tackle the challenges provided to them.
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
Stemming from the exhilarating workshop and panellist discussion, the networking session was bustling with new connections and a drive to continue emergent conversations surrounding the nature of our cities - a fitting image situated in the middle of Tokyo. It truly felt that the event could continue for the remainder of the evening.
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
Beyond showcasing inventive and original ideas through the workshop, the event nurtured a sense of community and collaboration between our panellists and audience. It highlighted the potency of teamwork and shared commitment in driving meaningful social change, underscoring the endless potential of individuals to unite to address urgent issues in a rapidly urbanising world.
Photos by Abdou Rachad Moussa
In conclusion, the success of this event was made possible by the invaluable contributions of the experts on our panellists, the Social Impact Lab Japan team, including our interns, passionate volunteers, and event team. Moreover, an event is incomplete without the engaged audience members that SILJ was honoured to host. As always, we would like to conclude by reminding everyone that Social Impact Lab Japan has one objective: to inspire social change. We provide a platform for participants and professionals to lead innovative problem-solving initiatives. Continue to join us in this transformative experience, contribute your ideas, and actively participate in shaping a sustainable future. Your presence and engagement will truly make a substantial difference. We eagerly anticipate your attendance at our next event!
