Inviting not only the government but also companies, organizations, and citizens to create innovation together—Mr. Yasuhiko Nomura, one of Future Design Shibuya 's Future Designers, has consistently continued such efforts.
When I look back on my activities so far, I can see the beliefs that underlie them, and what Mr. Nomura thinks is ideal for citizen co-creation and city pride.
A city where citizens can make their own decisions
——First of all, please tell us about your activities so far, Mr. Nomura.
For a long time, I had been doing research and consulting on how to create an innovation and knowledge-creating organization at a company called Fuji Xerox. bottom. Until then, I had been focusing on innovations that originated from companies, but I felt the possibility of creating new innovations from scratch through collaboration between communities, companies, and NPOs in the recovery from the disaster. I have worked on various projects.
Under such circumstances, in Shibuya Ward, I wanted to create a cross-sector initiative that spans the government, companies, and NPOs, and in cooperation with Mayor Hasebe and Deputy Mayor Sawada, I launched a project called "30 people who connect Shibuya". I was.
When it comes to a project for a government client, it tends to be carried out within a limited relationship with a specific company. The idea is to create a situation in which people can be found in every company and every NPO, and turn these people into a single community and a platform for innovation. Government officials are also included as members, and we are considering how to make use of the ideas that companies, NPOs, and government officials have come up with in administrative policies.
One of the concrete measures realized from that is the graffiti erasure project "CLEAN&ART". With the addition of companies such as BEAMS and BOSCH, we have created a system to remove the graffiti that has been drawn in Shibuya in a cool and fun way. Now, when I ask "CLEAN&ART" when I've been graffitied, people in cool BEAMS uniforms come as volunteers and do their best to remove the graffiti. It is a system that can be
However, rather than such results being the most important, companies, NPOs, and government officials cooperated with each other to get there, and what they thought they would do in the city of Shibuya I think it's important to have the experience of realizing it. The "30 people who connect Shibuya" project is now in its 7th year, and the members will be replaced every year, so there are about 200 people with such experience in various organizations in Shibuya. Together, we have created something like an innovation ecosystem where such people can work together to solve various problems.
Ultimately, what I want to see is a state in which most of the policies are carried out in collaboration with citizens—in other words, a city in which citizens have true sovereignty.
This idea does not change at Future Design Shibuya. My own idea is to create a system where citizens can continue to participate in urban development so that many people, including Shibuya residents, can get involved in cross-sectoral activities and create the future of Shibuya on their own. I think it's an effort.
What if we could collect the wisdom of the people of Shibuya and overcome social issues?
As Future Designers of Future Design Shibuya, I think our main role is to give advice on projects in various ways. I find it attractive.
As for administrative measures, many things advance in vertical division. For example, the IT department specializes in the introduction of IT, while support for people with disabilities, for example, is handled by the department that supports people with disabilities. But the most interesting thing about Future Designer's discussion is that you can see it completely side by side. How can we solve social issues that are difficult to solve from a horizontal perspective? Discussions such as "What if we bring resources from over there to solve issues over here" are really going on freely.
Mr. Hasebe himself talks about the policies he is thinking about, and we seriously discuss whether everyone can do this or that. It has nothing to do with their own interests, but everyone is really discussing it for Shibuya.
And that is what the people of the companies participating in Future Design Shibuya are listening to. That way, companies can come up with new ideas. I think it's very nice to discuss things like urban strategy in an open place.
Thinking about what to do with this town and how to overcome this social issue, we will gather the wisdom of the people of Shibuya and think creatively about how to realize it, and people in various positions will make various proposals. continue. I think it would be wonderful if discussions like this would increase among companies and among citizens, and influence the decision-making of the town as a whole.
Local attractions and citizens' pride rediscovered through tourism
—— On the other hand, I think that one of the expectations of Future Designer is that they will be active in their respective fields outside the context of Shibuya, and return their experiences to Shibuya. Mr. Nomura, please tell us about your efforts from the present to the future.
I am now trying to use tourism to improve the region.
For example, there was a "Plastic Free Journey" that I wanted to realize on Kikai Island in the Amami Islands. The concept is to stay away from single-use plastics while traveling. If plastic-free people come to sightseeing from overseas, local people will have the hospitality of welcoming them without plastic. If you try it and you can do it unexpectedly, you can start thinking, ``Is it always necessary to use plastic in the first place?''
I want to make good use of the power of tourism to create a travel experience where everyone can bring back what the region really wants to leave behind, or what the region really wants to improve. In the case of places like Kikaijima, where the sea is beautiful, there is a high degree of affinity with the plastic-free concept.
So what happens in the case of Shibuya? Shibuya and Tokyo are cities that support industrial infrastructure, so I think there is a strong connection between sustainability and consumer sentiment. Therefore, I would like to create a movement in Shibuya to create our own sustainability. I would like to have an experience that raises the sensitivity to things called possibilities--I would like to try an initiative to have an experience to think about Shibuya, a sustainable city, using the power of tourism.
With a sense of hospitality, local people provide tourists with experiences that are in line with the characteristics and charms of the town, and at the same time, by having tourists reconfirm the good points of the region, they can feel that they are themselves. If you can take the step of becoming a conviction, I think that you will be proud of what you are doing in this town.
Japan has always been focused on productivity. I believe that society has always been built on values. The idea that "those who are active have value" based on capitalism has spread, and many elderly people, for example, are living while thinking "I don't want to cause trouble." increase. However, after all, I want to create a society where living in this town is already worth it.
In particular, Shibuya is truly a city that transforms differences into strength, so it's not worth it because it's a high performance, but it makes you feel like you're worth it just to be there. , I want you to become a town that raises that kind of self-affirmation.
Text) Suke Amada
Photo) Hiroki Terabayashi
Future Design Shibuya Future Designer article
▶︎ Natsuo Sato “It is important not only to create a future that does not yet exist, but also what to leave behind.”
▶︎Mr. Haruyuki Seki “So that technology can be used to improve society”
▶︎Chiaki Hayashi "Focus on the future you really want to live in"
▶︎Mr. Seiichi Saito "The city of Shibuya with high resolution, matching puzzles to solve problems by utilizing data"
▶︎Chika Wakatsuki x Shibuya Ward Mayor Hasebe “To Shibuya Ward where everyone in the area can raise children”
