ICT solutions to challenge problems in local cities 1/4Compact Urban Area and promotion of flows between areas

by Takehiko Kato, Chief Fellow

Maintaining the level of service

Many local cities in Japan are having the difficulty to maintain the original service level of the city because the population has been decreased year by year. The Japanese Government is promoting the strategy that the level of living of local cities are maintained in the “Compact + Network” among regional small and medium-sized cities and the vitalization of the regions are achieved by the positive flow of people, goods and information among them.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport concluded that some level of market size is required to maintain the high-level urban services such as higher education, general medical center and large-scale commercial complex. They are claiming that such high level of urban services can only be maintained if the city has   population of more than 100,000 of its own or the extended area of the city have population of about 300,000 combining surrounding towns located within an hour range of transportation.

The fact is, however, that the depopulation ratio is far higher in such regional cities with the population of less than 100,000 than the national average estimated until the year 2050, and it is estimated that the number of cities with population of 300,000 will be decreased from 61 current to 43 in 2050.

 

Basic Concept

This trend of depopulation accelerates the deterioration of regional economy. In order to cope with this situation the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport proposed basic concept of “Compact + Network” in their strategy of “National Ground Design 2050”. “Compact” there means the compact centralization of necessary services for living in a specific area to facilitate the effective and efficient use of services for residents and “Network” means that network is strengthened in the traffic and information flow to connect closely local societies. “Network” results in the reduction of management cost of city operation, better environmental effects such as reduction of Co2 emission, closer relations between regional cities and shortening the distance between them. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport are hoping that 60-70 mid-sized area of cities with population of more than 300,000 can still be maintained by this Compact and Network promotion even in the future progress of depopulation.

If the city areas with more than 300,000 are maintained and the further promotion of regional association is achieved, the level of living of residents could be uplifted and the depopulation could be stopped. At the same time the centralization and accumulation of people, goods and information will formulate the industry and the market. The vitalization of regional economy will bring diversification, and, convection or natural flow.

The convection or natural flow is the dynamism for development and growth which is created by difference in temperature among the diversified regional societies. Each regional society can promote its own strength while supplementing their uniqueness with each other.

 

Linking of Infrastructures

“Compact + Network” is supported by “the smarter” of traffic infrastructure, information infrastructure and energy infrastructure.

The age of IoT where a variety of things are all connected with data is expected to facilitate stronger linkage of infrastructures with more efficiency and flexibility, to  evolve innovation, to encourage the creation of new industries, to solve regional problems, and, further to activate more the association and convection or natural flow between regional societies.