2nd Futures Session Aging Society × Bedtown Mon 1st October 2012
Mar 26, 2016
2nd Futures Session
Aging Society × Bedtown
Mon 1st October 2012
Overview
The Issue
“Bedtowns”, as they are known in Japan,
refer to commuter towns or dormitory towns
that are situated around a city, enabling
residents to travel to the city to work.
However, as the term suggests, they are
also described as places where people
simply go home to sleep. Bedtowns have
played an important role in rebuilding
Japan’s economic growth after World War
II, sharing a similar history and function to
that of the United Kingdom.
These bedtowns were built in the modern to
contemporary era during the shift towards
industrialisation and urbanisation. However,
maybe the values that were established
during a young society are now approaching
a flexion point. If so, we may be seeing
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major changes in urban functions as the
population grows older. Any changes in
suburban areas that account for a large part
of the population may have major implications
for regional, community, and societal
issues.
For our Futures session, we believed that
bedtowns would be representative of
suburban areas, and by consider ing
bedtowns of the future, we hoped to
generate new ideas to redesign or create
new urban functions and activities that
companies and administrative bodies could
then provide in an aging society. Thus, our
second Futures session “Aging Society x
Bedtown” was held on October 1st 2012 at
Catalyst BA in Futakotamagawa with 37
participants including representatives from
companies, local government, social
entrepreneurs, NPOs, and other sectors.
In this session, Fujitsu Laboratories, who
are interested in infrastructures supporting
the everyday life of bedtown residents, took
the lead, and set session objectives and
contents with other host members. The
sess ion, which cons idered poss ib le
outcomes of major changes in heavily
populated urban areas as a result of rapid
aging, was related to Fujitsu Laboratories’
10-year vision “Toward a Human-Centric
Networked Society”. It is also of interest to
the holding company, Fujitsu, who aim to
support people’s l ives and the social
infrastructure through IT.
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Objective
This session aimed to consider not only the
existing issues experienced by bedtowns,
but also the relat ionships, roles, and
functions required in bedtowns in an aging
society and how new bedtowns should
operate in the future.
Futures Session Process
The session was held according to the following
process.
may be better off since many still have traditions
such as festivals that bring people together.
Stage 2 : Bedtowns from a subjective point of view
Time was taken for each participant to write
down a timeline showing their experience of
bedtowns. Then, discussions were held in
pairs based on these timelines, exploring
their experiences and how they would like
Let us take a closer look at each process
and their results.
Stage 1 : New perspectives from guest speakers (Commuter towns in the UK)
Huw Oliphant and Tom Mayes from the
British Council, who both have lived in
bedtowns in the UK, and Satoshi Yanagisawa,
a sustainable designer, who has lived in
bedtowns both in the UK and Japan, talked
about their experiences in the UK, sharing
stories about successful bedtowns and
issues bedtowns face. (See tables 1 and 2.)
The general impression was that bedtowns
in the UK basically faced the same issues
as in Japan. Regarding local communities,
they also said that Japanese communities
New perspectives from guest speakers touching on the commuter town experience in the UKInsights provided by contexts other than Japan.
Bedtowns from a subjective point of viewGaining insights by sharing individual contexts with other participants.
Bedtowns in the context of societyDesigning the future from a context of changes that are already happening.
Rebuilding bedtownsBackcasting, working our way back from the future, to define specific actions that should be taken now.
Stage1
Stage2
Stage3
Stage4
Table 1: Key characteristics of successful bedtowns in the UK
Keys to success Examples
Community spirit Hubs that connect people (local shops, pubs, community centres and sport teams)
Local specialities
Environments that encourage easyconversation
Flexible places to work
Co-existence of supermarkets and local speciality shops (sell local products not available in supermarkets)
Importance of the local high street shops, the informalnature of greetings in English
Many transport options, flexibility in the work place (employees have discretion on working practices)
Table 2: Issues that bedtowns in the UK are facing
Issues that UK bedtowns are facing Reasons
Lessening of community spirit With the increase of large shopping centres, local shops are closing and places where the local community can interact are being lost
Decrease in motivation for older citizensto venture out
Not enough mobility measures for the elderly,reduction in funding available for communityinfrastructure (e.g. public toilets, libraries) because ofthe economic downturn.As preventative measures,some areas are opening upuse of school buses for local residents and holdingfarmers’ markets
to relate to bedtowns in the future. Through
this dialogue, each of the participants
produced a personal “bedtown story”.
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Stage 3 : Bedtowns in the context of society
Seventy-five strands of social innovation
news*1, prepared beforehand, were provided to
the participants, who were asked to share
within the group, items which they thought
important. Participants were to consider a
newspaper of the future and provide fitting
headlines. This enabled us to highlight
trends in societal change.
For example, the headlines “World’s first
‘time market’ open for business”, “Change
in the concept of currency”, “Another
85-year-old entrepreneur!” helped show
some ways to take advantage of hidden
resources in local communities.
One team chose to summarise the activities
of all the teams and show them as their
presentation. The following is a list of the
headlines for the future newspaper.
World’s first ‘time market’ open for businessA ‘time market’ just like a financial market is established, making it possible to buy and sell knowledge, roles, and experience in units of time.
Sharing houses can be fun: relaxed open living Potential houses are registered while residents are still alive. Users operate the houses together and they become places where local residents can gather.
Cap set for online shoppingLimits are set for online shopping to encourage people to purchase at local stores instead of via the Internet. A group reacts to the move and files a lawsuit!
Cross-industry mergers in vogueDifferent industries merge to produce new goods or monozukuri (craftsmanship) ideas, in an age where personal lives are becoming everyone’s business.
Another 85-year-old entrepreneur!Successful development of new products, tapping the knowledge of senior citizens. New products and technologies are born from their wisdom.
A Japanese company becomes the world’s largest shared-house chain with the world’s number one market valueA Japanese company plans to open shared-houses in 45 unique and niche areas around the world. 350 shared-houses operated in Japan attract global workers, appealing to mobile “nomad” workers to come and live and work in Japan. (More than 20 million workers per year.)*Nomad workers are people who do not work from home or at the office, but at coffee shops or fast food restaurants using laptops or tablet computers. (cf. goo Jiten.)
Change in the concept of currencyExperience, know-how, knowledge, information, or wisdom can be used as currency instead of monetary currency, enabling people to make use of their strengths or tap hidden resources.
Schools become living bases for everyone!Since many schools have closed down due to the decrease in the number of children, they have been transformed into places where wide-ranging age groups of people can gather. Children can study at these schools, parents who take their children to school can also work there, and senior citizens with free time can act as teachers.
Cities experience forced reduction in sizeCities are forced to become more compact. It becomes mandatory for over-populated cities to reduce the number of people, and under-populated areas to increase its population.
Dramatic 150% increase in commuting time in a decadeCommuting is the source of rich opportunities. The idea is to use the commuting time as an opportunity for people to meet. Morning train events and “running stations” for joggers are set up based on the concept that movement is the key for people to meet each other.
The Future Newspaper
*1From Strategic Business Insights, Inc. SCAN programme Signal of Change (SoC) and Patterns.
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3
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5
6
7
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9
10
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Stage 4 : Rebuilding bedtowns
After creating individual “bedtown stories”
in Stage 2 and selecting headlines for a
future newspaper in Stage 3, each participant
was then asked to think about what they
would like to try in a bedtown, and what would
happen as a result. These ideas were put up
on the walls and similar ideas were grouped
together to form nine groups. The participants
within these groups then discussed their
ideas of how to reconstruct bedtowns and
actions they would like to take. The groups
decided on a project title, action items as
the next step, and roles they would take,
and then shared the results with the others.
For example, one group presented a project
called “Social business trip: empty house
resort theme park” that proposed to use
hidden local resources such as empty
houses and children’s rooms that are no
longer used as accommodation spaces.
Their action items included going to find
potent ia l p roper t ies . Another group
presented a project called “Future-style
senior residences: “Pin-pin-korori”- a sense
o f purpose fo r sen io r c i t i zens” tha t
proposed to provide shared-house-type
senior residences combined with social
action work to offer senior citizens a sense of
purpose. The action items for this project
consisted of onsi te v is i ts to exist ing
assisted living residences and research of
resident needs.
The list of the projects is as follows.
1 Future-style senior residence: “Pin-pin-korori”, a sense of purpose for senior citizensOffering senior citizens a healthy diet and opportunities for moderate exercise and hobbies, as well as other services that make life worthwhile by combining shared-house-style senior residences with social action work such as operating low-cost childcare facilities or providing care services for senior citizens living alone.- Action itemConduct research (visit existing assisted living residences and assess resident needs), create concepts, find business partners, and prepare business plans.
2 Pub Tree: touring guidePeople of various industries act as host, inviting other members as guests, to create a community bridging
generations, taking them on a tour of places of interest unique to the local area. - Action itemExchange contact details of members and decide on the first host.
3 Town pride projectThe bedtown issue boils down to the fact that there is a lack of relationships between residents and homes are simply places where residents sleep. This project hopes to solve the issue by strengthening the
local community.- Action itemView national community centres and projects that aim to create local production for local consumption, and visit the town revitalisation workshop at Tama-Plaza and write a report.
4 Bedtown Plan Inc.The Bedtown Plan Inc. hopes to solve bedtown issues through business. The project proposes to increase the number of community enterprises to solve issues not only through community buildings that build
relationships between people, but also through business.- Action itemDevelop necessary framework for Bed Town Plan Inc. to be achieve its goals.
5 Sumida ward community support teamExisting community organisations (for town communities and festivals) are under threat due to rapid aging and lack of board members. The key is how to bring new people into the existing community and how the younger generation of residents in their 30s and 40s establish new relationships within the community. - Action itemShare the community experiences of four members and analyse the common issues and necessary initiatives.
6 Preventing isolation: creating a place where many generations can interactOne of the bedtown issues is the lack of intergenerational interaction between various age groups. This project proposed to solve this by creating a place where many generations can interact. The aim is to create a support framework which enables people to continue living there.- Action itemSurvey local people and consider ways to create a place where many generations can interact.
7 Social business trips: Empty house resort theme parkThis project is about using empty houses, shaping communities, and offering a sense of purpose. The project proposes to use empty houses, unused, children’ s rooms, and other empty spaces as accommodation facilities. It hopes to consider possibilities whether or not this could be achieved as part of corporate CSR activities.- Action itemAsk people to volunteer spaces, gather varied experiences, collect information on corporate business trips, and create a website to send out information.
9 LIQUI – CITYThis project proposed to transform bedtowns into something more attractive, rather than just a place where residents come home to sleep. The aim is to create a unique “Diver-City” , which attracts a diverse range of people and knowledge, a “Univer-City” , where people come and go and share knowledge, and where co-working is widespread, and ultimately a “LIQUI-CITY” which enables a fluid interaction of these elements.- Action itemMake Kagurazaka the model area, reserve a pub in Kagurazaka, and invite guests to a LIQUI-CITY event.
8 Design your own work and living spacesA bedtown usually separates people from their workplace. The point of this project is not about deciding whether it is good or bad for the workplace and home to be divided, but whether it is possible for each person to design where they want to do what. - Action itemConduct a workplace trade (try an office trade for a week) or offer a couchsurfing experience (try couchsurfing as accommodation on vacation). *CouchSurfing refers to an international hospitality community free-of-charge available on the internet. For example, people who travel abroad may use this system to stay at the homes of other members based on consensual hospitality and trust. (cf. From Japanese Wikipedia.)
Spotlight
The headlines for the future newspaper
seemed to suggest that people are seeing
s igns of societa l change in terms of
workstyles and lifestyles and where these
two areas intersect. It may be interpreted
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that the participants expect workstyles and
lifestyles to change or think that they will
change more in the future. (See Figure 1.)
Figure1:Examining “bedtowns” from a social viewpoint the indicators for future change
Titles of future newspapers Indicators for future change
“Another 85
year old
entrepreneur!”
Utilising hidden
resources
Trading inalternatives to
monetarycurrency
Ways of working
to maximise
local potential
Ways of living
to maximise
local potential
Developing
community
spaces
Optimising size
and space
Developing
compact cities
Promoting
open innovation
Utilisingcommuting time
effectively(community building)
Making energyused for
commutingeco-friendly
150% increase in
commuting time
in a decade
Cross-industry
mergers in vogue
Cities experience
forced reduction
in size
Sharing houses
can be fun
− relaxed open living
“World’s first
‘time market’
opens”
“Change in the
concept of
currency”
“Japanese companybecomes the world’slargest shared-house
chain with No.1market value globally”
“Schools become
living bases for
everyone”
“Cap set for
online shopping”
Changes to working style Fusion of work and life Lifestyle changes
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The projects proposed for bedtowns by
each group seemed to suggest a new
bedtown model that deals with revitalising
communities from the inside while also
enhancing relationships with the outside,
strengthening the community spirit by
creating a place where many generations
can gather together and interact. They also
indicated ideas for a platform to support
this model. But further contemplation is
necessary regarding the relat ionship
between aging societies and bedtowns.
(See Figure 2.)
The output from this Futures session has
given us hope that the proposed projects
cou ld work together to resu l t in the
emergence of new bedtowns. What kind of
aging society wil l we be able to bui ld
through this collaboration of new bedtown
Figure2: Re-building “bedtowns” An overview of projects to be trialled
Discovery of externalresources
actions keywords
Social businesstrips
−Empty houseresort theme
parks−
Sumida ward
community
support team
Town pride
project
LIQUI - CITY
Bed Town Plan Inc.
Design your own
work and
living places
Future-style
senior residences
− ”Pin-pin-korori”
Pub Tree!
Touring local
places of interest
Preventingisolation
−Creating placeswhere inter−generational
interaction occurs
- Utilise empty houses- Shape communities
- Provide a senseof purpose
Develop attractive
towns through diversity,
knowledge collection
and distinct identities
Solve bedtown issuesthrough business,
the development oflocal jobs, and the launchof community enterprises
Share & contributeto society
Attractnew residentsStrengthen the
local community
Increasecommunity ties
Provide spacesfor cross-generation
interaction, and a framework for
continued livingpossibilities
in the community
Increase flexibility,and lifestyle
and workstyle choices
Bridge generationsin communities
A new bedtown model
Supporting platform
Discovery of resources andissuesfor internal activation
Develop community spirit through the design of spaceswhere there is inter-generational interaction
businesses and business clusters that are
created by Futures sessions in the future?
We hope to paint the future together through
further sessions.
Published in December 2012 by:
British Council / FUJITSU LABORATORIES LTD. / Center for Global Communications, International University of Japan (GLOCOM) / Future Sessions
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© 2012 British Council, Fujitsu Laboratories ltd., Center for Global Communications, International University of Japan, Future Sessions