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Reimagining Urban Waterfronts, Transforming Cities - Lessons from Japan: A Technical Deep Dive (TDD) on Waterfront Redevelopment

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From November 11 to 15, 2024, the World Bank’s Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC) hosted a Technical Deep Dive (TDD) on Waterfront Redevelopment in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kobe. Approximately 40 participants, including delegations from Bangladesh, Jamaica, Kenya, Paraguay, and Vanuatu, as well as World Bank staff, examined Japan's approach to transforming urban waterfronts into productive, inclusive, and sustainable areas.

What were the key insights from the TDD?

Revitalizing Kobe’s waterfront for a more livable city through “creative reconstruction”

Since the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Kobe has aimed to rejuvenate its urban center and waterfront to improve livability and economic activity. The city is leveraging its vibrant center and collaboration with the private sector and local communities to implement its long-term vision.

  • Area-based urban redevelopment: Kobe is committed to transforming car-centric areas into pedestrian-friendly roads, creating public spaces, and redeveloping the city center as "a gateway to the beautiful port city of Kobe," taking advantage of its unique location.
  • Private-sector participation in waterfront and city-center redevelopment: The “TOTTEI” project is an ongoing initiative consisting of an integrated waterfront arena and park development, undertaken by a private sector consortium. This project aims to create a vibrant waterfront in line with Kobe's waterfront redevelopment vision. The Kobe city government is collaborating with private entities to develop a smart city model through this initiative and has also introduced the "Port Green Space PPP" system, which funds park operational costs through revenue-generating facilities within green spaces. 
  • Local community collaboration for environmental conservation and blue-carbon initiatives: The Hyogo Canal serves as a model for integrating environmental restoration with local industries such as fisheries and timber. Kobe works with communities to improve water quality, restore ecosystems, and promote environmental education, emphasizing the importance of sustainable waterfronts for resilient and livable urban environments.

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Ongoing investments along Kobe waterfront.

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Blue-carbon initiatives at Hyogo Canal in a light industrial area.

 

Transforming Yokohama’s waterfront business district through strategic urban planning, and managing river basin through innovative nature-based solutions

Minato Mirai 21 redevelopment and Shin-Yokohama Park provided lessons for innovative solutions for flood mitigation and climate change.

  • Spatial consolidation and urban infrastructure integration: Minato Mirai 21, launched in 1965, transformed shipyards into a vibrant economic and cultural hub. Through integrated land use and transportation planning over the last few decades, it successfully led to the revitalization of the economy and incorporated sustainable development models. Today Minato Mirai 21 is home to numerous company headquarters and attracts over 72 million visitors annually.
  • A sustainable model for implementing and managing resilient riverfront infrastructure: Yokohama showcased a highly integrated flood-resilient infrastructure that doubled as green and public space. The infrastructure is also an integrated part of the Nissan stadium, where revenues from events are being used to defray operational costs. Shin-Yokohama Park, part of the Tsurumi River basin, serves as a flood retention basin and recreational area. This hybrid approach combines green and grey infrastructure, providing disaster risk management and community benefits through a public-private partnership model.

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Minato Mirai 21, a developed and vibrant urban waterfront at Yokohama.

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Flood retention infrastructure integrated within Nissan Stadium at Shin-Yokohama Park.

 

Participants' Voices: Lessons from Japan

"In Kobe and Yokohama, there are ways to build trust with the private sector, both by creating a management mechanism that guarantees the stability of regulations, no matter what happens with the government."

-        Mr. Santiago Andres Scialabba, Senior Social Development Specialist and TTL of Paraguay, the World Bank

"We've seen some lessons here in Japan in terms of land reclamation. Japan has good technology for this that we think we can apply. We also learned a lot about land value capture, which is a financial instrument we hope to introduce to better utilize limited space."

-        Mr. Omar Hanif McFarlane Sweeney, Managing Director, Jamaica Social Investment Fund

“Another lesson is the research and efforts to restore heavily polluted ecological systems, ensuring biodiversity and water quality that enhance the resilience of waterfronts and support new activities.”

-        Ms. Arafa Abdalla AMUR, Director, County Government of Mombasa, Kenya

 

Please view the event photos here.