Delivered on December 23, 2024
Hidetoshi Tsuchiya
Executive Director, Smart City Institute Japan
“Well-Being” is a way to solve regional issues by working backwards.
Affiliation and position information is as of the time of distribution
Smart City Institute Japan is a non-profit general incorporated association established in 2019. Currently, approximately 760 organizations including companies and local governments are members. We are engaged in activities to promote the spread and advancement of smart cities in Japan. One of these is the development and promotion of the "Well-Being" index. Well-Being is an index that quantifies and visualizes citizens' "ease of living" and "sense of happiness," and has been adopted by the Digital Agency. It is being disseminated on a nationwide scale. What is urban development that utilizes this index to strengthen regional strengths? He talked about his expectations for combining it with location information.
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Regional happiness “Well-Being” index also adopted by the Digital Agency
Smart City Institute Japan (hereinafter referred to as SCI-Japan) It is a non-profit general incorporated association led by the private sector, established in October 2019. We operate as an intermediary organization that supports the expansion and sophistication of regional development using smart cities and digital technology in Japan. Currently, approximately 760 organizations including companies and local governments are members.
Our activities are to provide useful information and tools related to smart cities, but they can be broadly categorized into three categories. One is to share the latest information and know-how regarding smart cities. Through large-scale events held once a year and regular webinars, we provide useful information to a wide range of people, not just our members.
The second is "infrastructure development in the collaborative area." As an intermediary support organization, we work to resolve issues that are difficult for individual local governments and companies to tackle. One of these initiatives is the ``Well-Being'' regional happiness index, which we developed independently. This initiative has been adopted as an indicator by the Digital Agency, and we are working with the Digital Agency to promote its dissemination.
The last step is to promote member networking. Half of SCI-Japan's members are companies, universities, and industry organizations, and the other half are local governments. We aim to create new value by supporting the promotion of interaction between members.
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Well-Being indicators to discover and develop regional strengths
There are various definitions of what a "smart city" is. At SCI-Japan, we view this as "urban development utilizing digital technology." Solutions to solve social issues are being developed and provided, but there are many cases where they have not yet been implemented in society. SCI-Japan's goal is to solve this problem.
The key to achieving this goal is the "Well-Being" index.
The Well-Being Index combines subjective survey results and objective statistical data. This is an index that three-dimensionally shows the relationship between happiness level and various measures. A subjective survey conducted among 100,000 people nationwide found that people in urban areas tend to have higher levels of happiness on average, and lower levels of happiness in rural areas. In rural areas, evaluation of the natural environment is linked to happiness, while in urban areas, convenience supports happiness. It is said that the characteristics of each region were also visualized.
By using this index, it is possible to discover the strengths of each region and further develop them.
At SCI-Japan, we use this Well-Being Index as a means of analyzing location information data handled by LBMA Japan member companies. We hope that combining this with behavioral data will open up new possibilities. SCI-Japan will continue to move beyond the term "smart city" We will continue to support you in realizing a ``spiritual and fulfilling life.''
Related keywords:
#Smart City #City DX #Municipal DX #Well-Being Index