What is the FutureCity initiative?

The FutureCity Initiative is Japan’s project to solve urbanization-related issues such as environmental and super-aging problems, now known as globally common challenges. Given that the urban population has overgrown to comprise 70% of the world’s population by 2050, the Japanese government, as the forerunner, identified “the FutureCity Initiative” as one of the National Strategic Projects to tackle the issues that many countries are expected to experience in the near future.

The goal is to create a revitalized and sustainable society where “everyone wants to live” and “everyone has vitality” with a new socioeconomic system. The following cases are the cities the government has selected as the “Future Cities,” in other words, model solutions to propose the world.

Case 1: Yokohama City (Kanagawa Prefecture)

As one of the Future Cities (currently SDGs Future City), Yokohama City, the capital city of the Kanagawa Prefecture has revalued what has been missing in a linear economy. It examines products, services, resources and citizens’ skills, and utilizes them to solve the issues. For example, some local restaurants and shops sell locally-produced fresh fruit juice bottled in reusable bottles invented by the resource recycling cooperative. Another organization operates a foodbank that collects groceries from companies and households and distributes them to those who need them. Yokohama City takes advantage of the features of a large population to bring a circular economy to life across the whole city.

The city operates the Yokohama SDGs Design Center and collaborates with various platforms, such as “Circular Yokohama” to accelerate a circular economy within the city.

Case 2: Shimokawa Town (Hokkaido)

The town with only approximately 3,000 residents is located in the northern area of Hokkaido. Despite its small population, Shimokawa Town has endeavored as a Future City to revitalize itself.

Firstly, the town offers accessible public transportation to the elderly who cannot drive or go outside alone. It allows the town to support residents in need, invigorate the local economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, the disappearing village turned itself into a new biomass village that solves various problems, including the increase in the need for elderly care, CO2 reduction and use of the local timber. The town is known for achieving energy independence by producing enough energy from locally-made wood chips.

There are countless successful cases besides the two examples above. Since 2018, the government has started a new initiative regarding SDGs and selected “SDGs Future Cities” in addition to the FutureCity initiative. Not just people in Japan but the entire world awaits model solutions developed by these one-hundred-plus future cities to solve urban issues and create new value.