The World Bank Land Conference 2025 will be held on May 5-8 in 2025, in Washington, DC.
This forum is the premier global forum for the land sector, bringing together over 1,000 participants from governments, development partners, civil society, academia, and the private sector to showcase policy-relevant research, discuss technical issues and sector good practice, and inform our dialogue.
The Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) will host the session Shaping Space: “Responding to Economic and Demographic Evolution through Land Use and Urban Management" during the Land Conference 2025. Citing the cases of our partner cities, Kobe and Toyama, this session will provide insights into how Japan’s evolving economy, aging population, and environmental challenges continue to shape its approach to land use, urban renewal, and sustainable development. By comparing Japan’s strategies with those of Thailand, Bhutan and other countries, we can gain a deeper understanding of how different countries are adapting to similar demographic and land use challenges in the context of rapid urbanization and economic transformation.
[Overview of the session]
Date and time: Monday, May 5, 4:00-5:30 pm
Venue: Preston Auditorium
Planned Program and Presenters
Opening: Hideaki Imamura (Executive Director for Japan at The World Bank Group)
Framing Presentation:
– Japan’s economic and demographic Evolution through land use and urban management Norihisa Shima (Toyo University)
Japan Cases:
Mayor Kizo Hisamoto (Kobe City)
- Mayor Hirohisa Fujii (Toyama City)
Thailand Case: Raweewan Bhuridej (Office of National Land Policy Board, Thailand)
Bhutan Case: Tshering Gyaltshen Penjor (National Land Commission, Bhutan)
Q&A
Closing: Ming Zhang, Global Director for Urban, Resilience and Land Global Department at The World Bank Group