Transforming Living Spaces for an Elderly Population
In Japan, a nation with one of the highest life expectancies in the world, the percentage of the population over the age of 65 is projected to increase to approximately 40% by the year 2060. To address this demographic shift, the "Work Places for the Second Life Project" is being implemented in Kashiwa City, with the aim of creating age-friendly workplaces and flexible employment models for citizens over the age of 65.
This project, inspired by Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, is set to redefine the concept of workplaces for the elderly by integrating smart energy infrastructure, digital assistive technology, sustainable urban planning, and a health-focused workplace culture.
Smart Energy Systems form the backbone of these workplaces, with the use of solar, wind, and battery storage, ensuring an efficient, continuous power supply - a critical factor for healthcare devices and comfort.
Digital Services and Support are another key component, incorporating AI and IoT-based assistive technologies to monitor the health and mobility of elderly workers or users, enabling safer, more responsive work environments.
Sustainable Urban Design is also integral to the project, integrating green spaces, easy mobility options, and barrier-free facilities tailored to the physical needs of older persons.
Workplace Health and Safety Innovations complete the picture, fostering a culture that emphasizes ergonomics and safety, adapting to aging bodies, and digital monitoring for accident prevention and health maintenance at work.
The success of this social experiment requires collaboration among researchers in different disciplines, citizens, local governments, the business community, medical associations, and NPOs. Dr. Hiroko Akiyama, a renowned gerontologist and professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, is likely associated with such interdisciplinary collaboration, potentially in fields such as urban planning, gerontology, or health technology. However, direct information regarding her involvement with the Work Places for the Second Life Project was not found in the presented search results.
Dr. Akiyama, known for her long-running research on the elderly in Japan, tracking approximately 6,000 Japanese elderly over 30 years, is widely recognized as an expert on issues of global aging. She is also the former vice president of the Science Council of Japan and has conducted cross-national surveys.
Simultaneously, other supporting projects such as lifelong learning, frailty prevention, community-based integrated care system, housing, and transportation are in progress in Kashiwa City. Dr. Akiyama recently initiated Kamakura Living Lab, a platform for open innovation by co-creation among users, industry, government, and academia.
The goal is to design communities where people of all ages stay healthy, active, connected, and live with a sense of security. The existing infrastructure of communities in Japan, built when the overall population was much younger, will need to be reconsidered and redesigned to better meet the needs of the aging Japanese population.
[1] Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City: https://www.kashiwa-no-ha.jp/en/ [3] Work Places for the Second Life Project: https://www.city.kashiwa.chiba.jp/koumu/koumu-shisetsu/shakai-fukushi/kinrou-jigyousha/index.html
- The "Work Places for the Second Life Project" in Kashiwa City, inspired by Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, is not only creating age-friendly workplaces but also innovative ones, incorporating smart energy infrastructure, digital assistive technology, sustainable urban planning, and a health-focused culture, with the aim of allowing elderly citizens to work flexibly and safely.
- The success of this project underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, with researchers in fields such as urban planning, gerontology, health technology, science, arts, design, and health-and-wellness working together to design communities that support the needs of the aging population, fostering a sense of security, health, activity, and connection for people of all ages.
- In addition to the "Work Places for the Second Life Project," other supporting initiatives such as lifelong learning, frailty prevention, community-based integrated care system, housing, transportation, and the newly initiated Kamakura Living Lab are in progress in Kashiwa City, all with the shared goal of creating vibrant, age-friendly communities that cater to the unique needs and aspirations of the aging Japanese population.