November 06, 2024
【Sustainable Japan Excellence Award】Maebashi Design Commission
Maebashi Design Commission
Thank you very much for selecting us for the Sustainable Japan Award. We, the Maebashi Design Commission, as a representative of the Maebashi Urban Renewal Promotion Corp., believe that this award is the result of that collaboration. Maebashi citizens who are engaged in urban development, the city itself as part of the public-private partnership, and the national government and related organizations have all provided support for the award.
As a private organization, the MDC is playing a role in the public-private partnership to promote Maebashi Urban Design, a guideline for urban development in the city center formulated by the city in 2019.
The city center is often derided as a “shuttered town,” but in fact has remained strong over the 20 years since it was first given that description. We are working to develop such urban resilience and create a new “Maebashi character” that is different from what it used to be.
The Babakawa Street Urban Design Project, completed in March 2024, is an effort to reconstruct Maebashi’s character. The private sector has been involved in the development of public space — a promenade park along 200 meters of city street — with donations from the local business association Taiyo no Kai, and residents are managing this public space in an autonomous manner.
We believe that the sustainability of urban development lies not in a one-point project, but in the creation of a series of challenges for urban development. The MDC is not an all-powerful organizer.
The number of pedestrians on Babakawa Street is increasing and new tenants are beginning to open their shutters. Not only there, but the entire city center of Maebashi is beginning to move in a variety of ways, inspired by each other. We will continue to support the development of this town’s potential.
Reason for the award:
The Maebashi Design Commission has been designated by the city of Maebashi as an incorporated association for realizing a private-sector-driven development plan called Maebashi Urban Design.
The role of the MDC is, first, to create a place to share the vision, and then to work on fundraising, study sessions on things like marketing methods, and fostering people who are willing to be involved in the city’s development.
For its Babakawa Street revitalization project, the company has introduced a social impact bond and a results-linked private-sector outsourcing system, and utilizes a variety of other mechanisms.
In addition to the government budget, MDC has received donations from an organization formed by local business volunteers and has taken on the role of project management, from coordinating with design and construction companies to disseminating the vision and concept to the community.
