ToyodaUp to now, cities and living spaces have revolved around people, but in the future, people will need to coexist with other agents like robots and augmented-reality (AR) avatars. That will require platforms facilitating spacial awareness by both people and robots, or in other words, "common ground." An easy way to picture this is describing as versatile digital data all of the things that exist in our workplaces, such as desks, elevators, and so on. Doing that ahead of time will enable robots to navigate their way through offices the same way that we humans do.

ToyodaToday, companies are employing a variety of techniques to develop things like autonomous guidance systems and AR. If more progress is made in the digital-data representations of buildings and other objects, then a variety of core constituents will be able to provide services that make use of those data and create simulations and forecasts linked to real space. Companies and organizations that are capable of offering those versatile data as standard will be the ones who survive in future industries.

SogaIn the years ahead, builders of infrastructure will need to focus not on creating facilities where people and robots work as dictated by the buildings themselves, but rather on creating environments that people and things can move throughout as key components and infrastructure that is adaptable to future versatility. During the pandemic, many things were instantly changed by digital transformation (DX) which altered our very lifestyles. To build cities that do not go obsolete, all interests must be willing to change the status quo. This is something that we need to be mindful of as well. Based on the characteristics of the regions in question, what digital technologies should we wield to create new opportunities, spaces and experiences for their residents? As we move forward, those are questions that our developments should seek to answer.

ToyodaConsidering that they connect our physical and information worlds, smart cities will likely futher liberate us in terms of both time and space. For example, some people may start living half of the year in Tokyo and the other half out in the country. In other words, if we can embrace remote working styles, then employees will not have to be at their offices all of the time. More lifestyle options will make all of society that much more fluid. There is a tendency to wrongfully equate the term "smart city" only with urban centers, but it was actually born of the idea that urban and rural areas could become equally productive and convenient dwelling spaces in the future.

ArakiRegardless of whether or not a region is termed a "smart city," the societal challenges and needs that have to be addressed there will differ depending on where it is, for example in Japan or somewhere in Southwest Asia, and whether it is an urban or rural area. The time spent on the development and its progress will also differ. Every day, I am keenly reminded that there is no single established model or final shape for a smart city. Our first step will be to bring digital technologies into the real-estate operations that MC has built up over the decades and create new value by integrating those operations into a variety of business domains. Our future challenges will continue to prioritize users, whether they be those who live in the regions, those who visit them, or even the robots who operate there.

MiyazakiSmart-city developments can help to solve a host of societal problems, including population changes and energy concerns, which is what makes them so appealing and worthwhile. Furthermore, the skills and know-how of Japanese manufacturers will be huge strengths in these projects. We too will need to give our best efforts if we want Japanese enterprises to once again demonstrate their latent strengths and technical expertise in global fields, much as they did during our country's period of high economic growth.

SogaWhat sets the BSD City project apart is that it is being driven not by prognostications or theories, but rather by how people are already living and their real-world reactions, forces that are growing increasingly powerful. BSD City also has pride of place in the still unproven industry of smart-city developments, and it has fostered discussion between professionals from so many different organizations and fields, all of whom are now working together towards its realization. The ideas born of this trial and error should ultimately give rise to new and next-generation businesses. I look forward to my future struggles and celebrations with MC's pros and others engaged in these projects, and I will continue to do my very best to make smart cities a reality.