ISHES Newsletter #19
February 25, 2020
See what's new on our web site: https://www.ishes.org/en/
E-mail: inquiry_en@ishes.org
Copyright (c) 2020
Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society, Japan
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Dear Readers,
Welcome to our 19th issue of the ISHES Newsletter!
In this February 2020 issue, you will find the following articles:
- Activating Public Spaces through Citizen-Government Collaboration: Himeji Station North Exit Plaza
The plaza in front of Himeji Station, a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) stop near the World Heritage Site of Himeji Castle, looks very different today from the design originally planned by city hall. It reflects a consultative process that resulted in an alternative proposal from the community. How did collaboration between citizens and the government make that possible?
- New article from the Research Institute for Creating New Paradigms based on Eastern and Western Wisdom
This time we provide an article from the Trends and Initiatives column, entitled "Interview: Corporate 'Virtue'-based Evaluation System Helps Employees Grow," which has been uploaded to the web.
- Recommended articles from the JFS Newsletter on sustainability issues in Japan
Traffic fatalities in Japan have dropped to a quarter of what they were at the peak. What actions have made the streets so much safer?
********************************************************
Activating Public Spaces through Citizen-Government Collaboration: Himeji Station North Exit Plaza
********************************************************
By Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society (ISHES)
Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, is located in the western part of the Kansai region of Japan, and has a population of about 530,000. The Shinkansen (Bullet Train) stops at Himeji Station, which serves as a gateway to the city. The space in front of the station, called Himeji Station North Exit Plaza, is designed unlike any other in Japan and differs significantly from what the city originally planned to do. This is because it reflects alternative proposals put forward by citizens.
Not only is the design of this plaza highly regarded in the urban planning field, but also the process leading that resulted in community input being reflected. How was this collaboration between the citizens and the government achieved?
Himeji Station North Exit Plaza
The plaza features three distinctive components: Castle View, Transit Mall and Nigiwai Koryu Hiroba (meaning "lively exchange plaza" in English). From the Castle View, one can get a direct view of Himeji Castle's majestic "keep tower," which rises skyward in the distance up the street. The original keep tower, watchtowers and other main structural elements of Himeji Castle, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site, were built in the early Edo period (1603-1867) and are still standing today.
The Transit Mall design is a first for Japan. The first 200 meters or so of Otemae Street, the main road running past Himeji Station, are restricted to public transit and pedestrian traffic only. The ratio of space in the station-front plaza devoted to pedestrians has been greatly expanded, from the original 26% to 61%.
The Nigiwai Koryu Hiroba was created to activate the area as a space for everyone to relax or engage in fun activities. Its concept is "a station front for family fun." Part of this plaza is offered at low cost for uses such as events put on by community groups and citizens, and its utilization rate has reached 100%.
The Road to Collaboration
The city government originally presented its plans for the plaza. The local shopping street association had a look at the plans and was concerned that a road would divide people. They organized voluntary study group sessions to gather input and presented proposals to the mayor, but their ideas were not reflected subsequently in the plans.
The association felt it would have limited impact if it worked alone, so it asked Hirokazu Kometani of the NPO Slow Society to coordinate consensus building. Kometani, who was also being consulted by government officials, decided to hold workshops to prepare some alternative proposals.
"There would be no progress if we weren't having our voices heard by the town's movers and shakers, so we invited all of them, and shared information with anyone unable to attend meetings," says Kometani. "Government officials who collaborated with us in our efforts also played an important role. Some people in the government had negative reactions to the citizens' proposals, so we reached out to promote mutual understanding through explanations and dialogue."
Junro Matsuoka, who chaired the shopping street association at the time, recalls "Some of our proposals got no reaction, and we didn't trust the government very much initially. Nevertheless, as we studied the issue together, some things became clearer. Our views on things like creating the Transit Mall coincided with theirs, but the government also came around to seeing things our way in some cases too."
More than 20 people, including shopkeepers, attended the workshops. Meetings were held with everyone in attendance eight times over two months, and smaller working groups would get together every second week for discussions. Three-dimensional perspectives of alternative proposals were developed and then presented at a Citizens' Forum to Consider the Look of Himeji.
The mayor, merchants, transportation business operators, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, local organizations and NPOs participated in that event. They discussed three proposals, a citizens' proposal that separated environmental (public) space from traffic space, the city's original plan emphasizing vehicle traffic flow, and a compromise between the two. The Forum ended up choosing the citizens' plan. Later, the Forum and an expert group jointly submitted a written proposal to the mayor, and the citizens' proposal was officially adopted.
Kometani says, "The experts helped convert people's ideas into designs, and that was a good way to work together. Recognized names in the planning of public spaces joined our efforts. In the absence of such actions, the plaza would have been built according to the city's original plan. What is important is to create and implement good processes to convey the views of the community."
Utilization Council and Experimentation
After the Citizens' Forum adopted the proposal, a utilization council was established. Its purpose has been to help form a shared understanding among stakeholders on how to proceed with utilizing and managing the station-front area. In addition to governmental, non-governmental and corporate stakeholders, members include experts in urban development.
Approaches to utilization and management are determined on a case-by-case basis through discussions. Various stakeholders are involved, so it is important to enhance mutual understanding among them. Kometani participates as a committee member in the government's informal discussion meetings, proposing matters decided on by the utilization council and devising other ways to proceed.
To promote utilization of the station-front area, they tested an idea called "Challenge Ekimae Omotenashi" (station-front hospitality), which involved renting out parts of the plaza for events organized by citizens and groups. While gaining public participation, they are experimenting with ways to use the space to energize and activate the area. The trials are proving useful in creating rules for the utilization and management of the completed plaza.
Let's look at three events that have been held so far.
In a "Tomoiki" (surviving together) disaster preparedness event, people watched a demonstration of a water pipe in a lawn area being connected to a water storage tank. Seeing this, they learned how such a system could be used to supply drinking water during disasters.
A station-front "Omusubi-ichi" (rice ball market) was organized by young farmers to sell fresh vegetables and other farm produce and foods.
The "Machi Zentai ga Hoikuen Tour" (whole town is a kindergarten tour) was a fun event for adults and children, in which day care was combined with a short children's tour. It allowed the parenting generation to enjoy a leisurely lunch and shop in front of Himeji Station while the children joined a tour. The kids got to visit museums and other sights in Himeji City, accompanied by childcare workers and assistants, while learning from local guides.
The number of events has grown steadily, from 230 events the first year to 308 the second year and 390 the third. Multiple spaces are available, so different events may be held simultaneously. With many people gathering and excitement being generated, positive economic effects are being seen, and public security is also enhanced.
As consensus-building for promotion of efforts has proceeded, a network of users and supporters not originally imagined emerged and grew. Matsuoka notes how ties among the shops have strengthened. "At the beginning, there were different levels of interest, but repeated interactions have gradually built the group spirit, allowing people to come together to move ahead. I think it is good we did this."
On June 26, 2019, the Consultative Group on Creating Urban Diversity and Innovation released a proposal for a program called "Urban Renewal Starting from 'City Centers Where People Want to Walk.'" In response, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) launched the "Walkable City Center Promotion Program" for implementation in FY2020. The Consultative Group's proposal included Ehime Station North Exit Plaza as a Japanese case study, a sure sign of how positively this design has been evaluated.
Utilization of the plaza is being considered even for days when no events are being held, so that a bustling scene can be enjoyed there on a daily basis. We will keep an eye on future trends at Himeji Station through collaboration between citizens and the government.
********************************************************
New articles from the Research Institute for Creating New Paradigms based on Eastern and Western Wisdom
********************************************************
In this section we introduce the articles posted on the website of the Research Institute for Creating New Paradigms based on Eastern and Western Wisdom.
This link brings you to an article from the Trends and Initiatives column, entitled "Interview: Corporate 'Virtue'-based Evaluation System Helps Employees Grow." This article introduces a unique evaluation system that aims to help employees grow into "persons of virtue," thereby also leading to the company's growth. We hope you enjoy reading.
Interview: Corporate 'Virtue'-based Evaluation System Helps Employees Grow
https://inst-east-and-west.org/en/trends_initiatives/2018/002509.html
********************************************************
Recommended articles from the JFS Newsletter on sustainability issues in Japan
********************************************************
In this regular section of each issue of the ISHES Newsletter, we recommend past articles from Japan for Sustainability newsletters. The non-profit JFS was active from August 2002 until July 2018, sending out information to the world with the aim of moving society in Japan and the world toward being more sustainable and happier.
What we recommend this time is a 2017 article about the major decline in traffic fatalities in Japan (2016 statistics) to a quarter of the peak number in 1970. The World Health Organization has been calling for concrete actions to reduce traffic fatalities. What did Japan do to achieve such a significant reduction?
------------
Japan's Road Traffic Deaths Drop to 1/4 of Peak Level
https://www.japanfs.org/en/news/archives/news_id035901.html
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
ISHES Team
Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society
E-mail: inquiry_en@ishes.org
www.ishes.org/en/
*The Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society (ISHES) is an organization based in Japan that is working to build a happy and sustainable society. To this end, we need to think about happiness, the economy and society together by learning from, analyzing, and thinking about theories and cases in Japan and around the world on what happiness is and what kind of economy and society will create and support happiness.
********************************************************
The Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society newsletter is a free monthly newsletter to keep you up to date with the latest information. ISHES bears no liability for the newsletter's contents or use of the information provided.
We welcome your comments. Please send them to: inquiry_en@ishes.org
Copyright (c) 2020, Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society. All Rights Reserved.
We invite you to forward this ISHES newsletter and/or use its contents in your own publications, with credit to the "Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society, www.ishes.org/en/."
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit https://www.ishes.org/en/newsletter/
Back issues of the newsletter are available here.
https://www.ishes.org/cgi-bin/acmailer3/backnumber.cgi
********************************************************
Welcome to our 19th issue of the ISHES Newsletter!
In this February 2020 issue, you will find the following articles:
- Activating Public Spaces through Citizen-Government Collaboration: Himeji Station North Exit Plaza
The plaza in front of Himeji Station, a Shinkansen (Bullet Train) stop near the World Heritage Site of Himeji Castle, looks very different today from the design originally planned by city hall. It reflects a consultative process that resulted in an alternative proposal from the community. How did collaboration between citizens and the government make that possible?
- New article from the Research Institute for Creating New Paradigms based on Eastern and Western Wisdom
This time we provide an article from the Trends and Initiatives column, entitled "Interview: Corporate 'Virtue'-based Evaluation System Helps Employees Grow," which has been uploaded to the web.
- Recommended articles from the JFS Newsletter on sustainability issues in Japan
Traffic fatalities in Japan have dropped to a quarter of what they were at the peak. What actions have made the streets so much safer?
********************************************************
Activating Public Spaces through Citizen-Government Collaboration: Himeji Station North Exit Plaza
********************************************************
By Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society (ISHES)
Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, is located in the western part of the Kansai region of Japan, and has a population of about 530,000. The Shinkansen (Bullet Train) stops at Himeji Station, which serves as a gateway to the city. The space in front of the station, called Himeji Station North Exit Plaza, is designed unlike any other in Japan and differs significantly from what the city originally planned to do. This is because it reflects alternative proposals put forward by citizens.
Not only is the design of this plaza highly regarded in the urban planning field, but also the process leading that resulted in community input being reflected. How was this collaboration between the citizens and the government achieved?
Himeji Station North Exit Plaza
The plaza features three distinctive components: Castle View, Transit Mall and Nigiwai Koryu Hiroba (meaning "lively exchange plaza" in English). From the Castle View, one can get a direct view of Himeji Castle's majestic "keep tower," which rises skyward in the distance up the street. The original keep tower, watchtowers and other main structural elements of Himeji Castle, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site, were built in the early Edo period (1603-1867) and are still standing today.
The Transit Mall design is a first for Japan. The first 200 meters or so of Otemae Street, the main road running past Himeji Station, are restricted to public transit and pedestrian traffic only. The ratio of space in the station-front plaza devoted to pedestrians has been greatly expanded, from the original 26% to 61%.
The Nigiwai Koryu Hiroba was created to activate the area as a space for everyone to relax or engage in fun activities. Its concept is "a station front for family fun." Part of this plaza is offered at low cost for uses such as events put on by community groups and citizens, and its utilization rate has reached 100%.
The Road to Collaboration
The city government originally presented its plans for the plaza. The local shopping street association had a look at the plans and was concerned that a road would divide people. They organized voluntary study group sessions to gather input and presented proposals to the mayor, but their ideas were not reflected subsequently in the plans.
The association felt it would have limited impact if it worked alone, so it asked Hirokazu Kometani of the NPO Slow Society to coordinate consensus building. Kometani, who was also being consulted by government officials, decided to hold workshops to prepare some alternative proposals.
"There would be no progress if we weren't having our voices heard by the town's movers and shakers, so we invited all of them, and shared information with anyone unable to attend meetings," says Kometani. "Government officials who collaborated with us in our efforts also played an important role. Some people in the government had negative reactions to the citizens' proposals, so we reached out to promote mutual understanding through explanations and dialogue."
Junro Matsuoka, who chaired the shopping street association at the time, recalls "Some of our proposals got no reaction, and we didn't trust the government very much initially. Nevertheless, as we studied the issue together, some things became clearer. Our views on things like creating the Transit Mall coincided with theirs, but the government also came around to seeing things our way in some cases too."
More than 20 people, including shopkeepers, attended the workshops. Meetings were held with everyone in attendance eight times over two months, and smaller working groups would get together every second week for discussions. Three-dimensional perspectives of alternative proposals were developed and then presented at a Citizens' Forum to Consider the Look of Himeji.
The mayor, merchants, transportation business operators, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, local organizations and NPOs participated in that event. They discussed three proposals, a citizens' proposal that separated environmental (public) space from traffic space, the city's original plan emphasizing vehicle traffic flow, and a compromise between the two. The Forum ended up choosing the citizens' plan. Later, the Forum and an expert group jointly submitted a written proposal to the mayor, and the citizens' proposal was officially adopted.
Kometani says, "The experts helped convert people's ideas into designs, and that was a good way to work together. Recognized names in the planning of public spaces joined our efforts. In the absence of such actions, the plaza would have been built according to the city's original plan. What is important is to create and implement good processes to convey the views of the community."
Utilization Council and Experimentation
After the Citizens' Forum adopted the proposal, a utilization council was established. Its purpose has been to help form a shared understanding among stakeholders on how to proceed with utilizing and managing the station-front area. In addition to governmental, non-governmental and corporate stakeholders, members include experts in urban development.
Approaches to utilization and management are determined on a case-by-case basis through discussions. Various stakeholders are involved, so it is important to enhance mutual understanding among them. Kometani participates as a committee member in the government's informal discussion meetings, proposing matters decided on by the utilization council and devising other ways to proceed.
To promote utilization of the station-front area, they tested an idea called "Challenge Ekimae Omotenashi" (station-front hospitality), which involved renting out parts of the plaza for events organized by citizens and groups. While gaining public participation, they are experimenting with ways to use the space to energize and activate the area. The trials are proving useful in creating rules for the utilization and management of the completed plaza.
Let's look at three events that have been held so far.
In a "Tomoiki" (surviving together) disaster preparedness event, people watched a demonstration of a water pipe in a lawn area being connected to a water storage tank. Seeing this, they learned how such a system could be used to supply drinking water during disasters.
A station-front "Omusubi-ichi" (rice ball market) was organized by young farmers to sell fresh vegetables and other farm produce and foods.
The "Machi Zentai ga Hoikuen Tour" (whole town is a kindergarten tour) was a fun event for adults and children, in which day care was combined with a short children's tour. It allowed the parenting generation to enjoy a leisurely lunch and shop in front of Himeji Station while the children joined a tour. The kids got to visit museums and other sights in Himeji City, accompanied by childcare workers and assistants, while learning from local guides.
The number of events has grown steadily, from 230 events the first year to 308 the second year and 390 the third. Multiple spaces are available, so different events may be held simultaneously. With many people gathering and excitement being generated, positive economic effects are being seen, and public security is also enhanced.
As consensus-building for promotion of efforts has proceeded, a network of users and supporters not originally imagined emerged and grew. Matsuoka notes how ties among the shops have strengthened. "At the beginning, there were different levels of interest, but repeated interactions have gradually built the group spirit, allowing people to come together to move ahead. I think it is good we did this."
On June 26, 2019, the Consultative Group on Creating Urban Diversity and Innovation released a proposal for a program called "Urban Renewal Starting from 'City Centers Where People Want to Walk.'" In response, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) launched the "Walkable City Center Promotion Program" for implementation in FY2020. The Consultative Group's proposal included Ehime Station North Exit Plaza as a Japanese case study, a sure sign of how positively this design has been evaluated.
Utilization of the plaza is being considered even for days when no events are being held, so that a bustling scene can be enjoyed there on a daily basis. We will keep an eye on future trends at Himeji Station through collaboration between citizens and the government.
********************************************************
New articles from the Research Institute for Creating New Paradigms based on Eastern and Western Wisdom
********************************************************
In this section we introduce the articles posted on the website of the Research Institute for Creating New Paradigms based on Eastern and Western Wisdom.
This link brings you to an article from the Trends and Initiatives column, entitled "Interview: Corporate 'Virtue'-based Evaluation System Helps Employees Grow." This article introduces a unique evaluation system that aims to help employees grow into "persons of virtue," thereby also leading to the company's growth. We hope you enjoy reading.
Interview: Corporate 'Virtue'-based Evaluation System Helps Employees Grow
https://inst-east-and-west.org/en/trends_initiatives/2018/002509.html
********************************************************
Recommended articles from the JFS Newsletter on sustainability issues in Japan
********************************************************
In this regular section of each issue of the ISHES Newsletter, we recommend past articles from Japan for Sustainability newsletters. The non-profit JFS was active from August 2002 until July 2018, sending out information to the world with the aim of moving society in Japan and the world toward being more sustainable and happier.
What we recommend this time is a 2017 article about the major decline in traffic fatalities in Japan (2016 statistics) to a quarter of the peak number in 1970. The World Health Organization has been calling for concrete actions to reduce traffic fatalities. What did Japan do to achieve such a significant reduction?
------------
Japan's Road Traffic Deaths Drop to 1/4 of Peak Level
https://www.japanfs.org/en/news/archives/news_id035901.html
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
ISHES Team
Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society
E-mail: inquiry_en@ishes.org
www.ishes.org/en/
*The Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society (ISHES) is an organization based in Japan that is working to build a happy and sustainable society. To this end, we need to think about happiness, the economy and society together by learning from, analyzing, and thinking about theories and cases in Japan and around the world on what happiness is and what kind of economy and society will create and support happiness.
********************************************************
The Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society newsletter is a free monthly newsletter to keep you up to date with the latest information. ISHES bears no liability for the newsletter's contents or use of the information provided.
We welcome your comments. Please send them to: inquiry_en@ishes.org
Copyright (c) 2020, Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society. All Rights Reserved.
We invite you to forward this ISHES newsletter and/or use its contents in your own publications, with credit to the "Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society, www.ishes.org/en/."
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit https://www.ishes.org/en/newsletter/
Back issues of the newsletter are available here.
https://www.ishes.org/cgi-bin/acmailer3/backnumber.cgi
********************************************************
