Low Carbon Urban Infrastructure Investment in Asian Cities

100 N. KONO ET AL.

Mirai 21 enterprise was planned and built over a long period (roughly 50
years) as one of Yokohama’s six major projects implemented in 1965.
Smart city.
The establishment of “utility tunnels” in the district represented the
beginning of city smartization processes. Electric wires, telephone wires
(optical fi bres), and pipes for water, electricity, gas, cable TV, district heating
/cooling, and garbage collection were placed in the underground utility
tunnel, and the central heating and air conditioning system is also man-
aged by the utility tunnel.
The electric power cable in the utility tunnels is transformed by substa-
tion facilities. Electricity of varying voltage levels corresponding to each
scale is sent to consumers (Kishida and Uduki 2009 ). Substation spaces
were created and so-called “smart power transmission” systems were initi-
ated in the 1990s. Given these innovations, Yokohama could be identifi ed
as a forerunner of SC principles at a time before the term “SC” existed.

6.3.2 SC Policies Implemented in Yokohama

From “green innovations” identifi ed by the Cabinet in 2009 through the
“New growth industry strategy towards a bright Japan,” the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) selected four “next-generation

Table 6.1 Smart city traits by sector

Sector Energy Waste Transportation Water

Traits^ • Smart grid system
with distributed
power sources

• Self-managed
  power plant that
  uses renewables


• Hydrogen reuse
  systems


• Cogeneration
  
  
  • Collection and
    management
    system based on
    IT
  
  
  • 3R (reuse,
    reduce, recycle)
    policies
  
  
  • Bio energy
    generated from
    solid waste
    
    
    • EVs used as
      batteries for
      building
    
    
    • ITS
    
    
    • Advanced public
      transit systems
    
    
    • Advanced NMT
      systems
    
    
    • Car sharing
      systems
      
      
      • Renewable
        energy sources
        for water
        facilities (micro
        hydro, solar
        power, wind
        power, etc.)
      
      
      • Water looping as
        another solution
        (the use of grey
        water)
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Overarching sectors
ICT:
Communication tools, security systems

Green Infrastructure:

Open space, parks, wind paths, etc.

Drawn from Yamamura ( 2014 ) and Goda and Morozumi ( 2011 )