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

1

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.

2

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”.

3

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.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

4

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

5

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

6

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

Designed by hereticanthem co.,ltd.

All rights reserved

© 2012 British Council, Fujitsu Laboratories ltd., Center for Global Communications, International University of Japan, Future Sessions