Researchers explored the Senboku Hottokenai Network Project using a mix of case study and action research approaches. Their findings highlight the significance of community-driven collaboration in transdisciplinary initiatives.
Suburban residential areas, known as new towns, were first created in England. This concept then spread across Europe and into East Asia, including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In Japan alone, a total of 2,903 new towns were constructed; however, many saw a steady decline in population and an increase in aging residents over the following 40 years, leading to their transformation into older new towns that required facility upgrades.
Dr. Haruka Kato, a junior associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, alongside Professor Emeritus Kazuhiko Mori, engaged in action research within Senboku New Town, one of Japan’s largest older new towns. The population of Senboku-NT fell from around 170,000 to 115,000 by 2022, while the number of senior residents increased by about 42,500, now representing 37.1% of the total populace. These demographic shifts created challenges for older individuals as local shops began to close, making it difficult for frail seniors to perform daily tasks within walking distance.
In response to this challenge, community members started to investigate projects led by residents, with support from community organizations, NPOs, social welfare groups, local government, and academic institutions. The Senboku Hottokenai Network Project is a key initiative that worked to repurpose vacant buildings into supportive housing for older adults, group homes for people with disabilities, and a community dining space. Moreover, this community-driven urban revitalization effort extended to surrounding regions. The findings from this research emphasize the critical role of community-led co-creation in transdisciplinary projects aimed at achieving a Healthy New Town.
“Hottokenai in Japanese means ‘leave no one behind,’ which aligns with the core promise of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its associated Sustainable Development Goals,” Dr. Kato stated. “Our insights underline the necessity of implementing a new town movement initiative to broaden the urban transformation strategy for Healthy New Towns to other aging new towns in East Asia.”
