Kashiwanoha Smart City Resident-Participatory Food/Farming & Health Programs
Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan · Operator: 三井不動産 / UDCK(柏の葉アーバンデザインセンター)・UDCKタウンマネジメント / 千葉大学
Overview
In Mitsui Fudosan's Kashiwanoha Smart City (Kashiwa, Chiba), resident-participatory town-building themed on food, farming and health is run with UDCK and Chiba University. Chiba University's environmental-health center returns plant-factory technology to residents' lives, generating new lifestyles and exchange through food and farming. The 'A-shi-ta' town health lab gathers a ~3,700-resident community, and resident-involved food/health pilots (e.g., the Meiji 'Yogurt for the City's Future' project) are conducted.
Citizen participation
In Mitsui Fudosan's public-private-academia Kashiwanoha Smart City, UDCK / UDCK Town Management and Chiba University's environmental-health center run resident-participatory programs themed on food, farming and health: returning plant-factory tech to citizens' lifestyles, living labs, marches, the 'A-shi-ta' town health lab (a ~3,700-resident community), and food/health pilots (CO-GROWTH, Meiji), through which residents continually take part in food, farming and health-making.
Operating model
Developer-led (Mitsui Fudosan) public-private-academia town-building; UDCK / UDCK Town Management provide venues and operation, partnering with university and companies to run resident-participatory pilots and community programs.
Impact
Built a ~3,700-resident health community and sustains a resident-participatory town model centered on food, farming and health; selected as an MLIT smart-city model project.
Crops
- 野菜(植物工場・栽培体験)
- ハーブ
Scale
柏の葉キャンパス駅周辺のまちづくりエリア全体。アクアテラス・こかげテラス等の公共空間を活用
Sources(3)
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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