European Inspection
An inspection of the latest examples from advanced sustainable cities for a station square redevelopment project.
Major Terminal Station Area Urban Development Council
2024.4
The redevelopment of a major terminal station square is currently underway. The project addresses various aspects, including creating iconic landscapes and functionality, as well as realizing a “comfortable and livable city.” We structured an inspection program to serve as a reference for these goals. Since the participants included people from diverse industries involved in the urban development council, we managed everything from researching advanced cases in sustainable cities—such as Copenhagen and various Dutch cities—to booking appointments, coordination, and on-site guiding to ensure the experience resonated with every industry.
WHY
To develop a station square for a major terminal used by many people, it was necessary to adopt an unprecedented and impactful perspective. The chosen theme was a “human-centric perspective.” Since European cities are already actively developing urban spaces with this focus, the decision was made to inspect advanced examples that have not yet been implemented in Japan.
FOCUS
In advancing urban development, it is important to visit many cases, but it was also crucial to deeply interview project key players. We needed to understand “who” led the projects, “with what concept,” “through what history,” whether there was opposition from citizens, and details regarding regulations, rules, and support systems. Therefore, leveraging our local network, we directly contacted and booked appointments with each key player and managed the overall coordination.
PROCESS
・Researching urban development cases in Europe
・Booking appointments and coordinating the inspection
・On-site guiding and support
OUTCOME
For this program, we guided the group through Utrecht and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and Copenhagen in Denmark. In Utrecht, we showed how station squares are utilized, the state of public squares scattered across the city, the old town centered around churches, the developing new town, the car-free city center, and the state of secondary transport focused on bicycles.
In Amsterdam, we spoke with a key person who has served as a project partner and chief architect for large-scale urban development and transportation projects. In Copenhagen, we had an in-depth discussion with the Director of Global Network & Partnerships at BLOX HUB—a community dedicated to solving urban challenges—about their urban development philosophy and how they reached consensus with local governments and citizens. Furthermore, we visited mobility service companies and major architectural firms, including Cobe and BIG. The inspection provided many rich inspirations and insights.
