Your Future Address?: Toyota to Build Prototype “Woven City”
Toyota’s goal is to turn that course around, and recently revealed plans to build a prototype "city" of the future on a 175-acre site at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan.
Since the early 17th century, history has been littered with failed utopian projects, all founded to realize a better life for some or all. Toyota’s goal is to turn that course around, and recently revealed plans to build a prototype "city" of the future on a 175-acre site at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. Called the Woven City, it will be a fully connected ecosystem powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
Envisioned as a "living laboratory," the Woven City will serve as a home to full-time residents and researchers who will be able to test and develop technologies such as autonomy, robotics, personal mobility, smart homes and artificial intelligence in a real-world environment.
How big is the 175-acre Woven City site? It could be a medium-size US college campus, 75 football fields including end zones and sidelines but not the stadium, 30-40 New York City residential blocks, or one-quarter of a square mile.
The aim is to have people, buildings and vehicles all connected and communicating with each other through data and sensors, enabling them to test connected AI technology in both the virtual and the physical realms, maximizing its potential.
The plan is for 2000 people to start, adding more as the project evolves, with site groundbreaking planned for early 2021.
Toyota’s intent is to utilize the Woven City project less as a genuine growing city and more as a self-contained “living laboratory”, one inhabited by full-time residents, other commercial and academic partners, and researchers from around the world. The plan is for 2000 people to start, adding more as the project evolves, with site groundbreaking planned for early 2021.
The city plans include an organic grid pattern engineered to maximize mobility for all grade tiers of speed and autonomy: for faster vehicles only, for a mix of lower speed, personal mobility and pedestrians, and for a park-like promenade for pedestrians with native vegetation and hydroponics.
Design of the City
For a company that builds more vehicles than any other, the obvious questions about Woven City are “Why?” and “Where do cars, and vehicles of any kind, fit in?” The why part is a combination of Toyota’s sense of corporate responsibility to envision a cleaner, better future for the world and the desire to have a live-in lab to figure things out.
The second part, about where vehicles fit in, amounts to little or no place for traditional personal vehicles at the heart of this utopian community, and three tiers of space for people and vehicles moving about:
Roadways/spaces for faster vehicles only
A mix of lower speed, personal mobility, and pedestrians
A park-like “promenade” for pedestrians only
To move residents through the city, only fully-autonomous, zero-emission vehicles will be allowed on the main thoroughfares. In and throughout Woven City, autonomous Toyota e-Palettes will be used for transportation and deliveries as well as for changeable mobile retail.
Above ground, the master plan features a plaza, parks and car-free promenades, with the importance of public spaces stressed in the design.
Power storage and water filtration facilities will be hidden underground. Above ground, the master plan features a plaza, parks and car-free promenades, with the importance of public spaces stressed in the design.
The city also represents an effort to build urban life with sustainability woven in from the start, rather than added in after the fact.
Toyota plans to weave in the outdoors throughout the city through native vegetation and hydroponics.
The city is planned to be fully sustainable, with buildings made mostly of wood to minimize the carbon footprint, combined with robotic production methods. The rooftops will be covered in photo-voltaic panels to generate solar power in addition to power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Toyota plans to weave in the outdoors throughout the city through native vegetation and hydroponics.
In California, every newly-built home must now be outfitted with enough solar panels to generate power for that home. Woven City will follow suit, covering every rooftop with photo-voltaic panels that will complement power generated by hydrogen fuel cells.
The homes will use sensor-based AI to check occupants' health, take care of basic needs and enhance daily life, creating an opportunity to deploy connected technology with integrity and trust, securely and positively.
Residences will be equipped with the latest in human support technologies, such as in-home robotics to assist with daily living. The homes will use sensor-based AI to check occupants' health, take care of basic needs and enhance daily life, creating an opportunity to deploy connected technology with integrity and trust, securely and positively.
Toyota believes that encouraging human connection will be an equally important aspect of this experience.
Both neighborhood parks and a large central park for recreation, as well as a central plaza for social gatherings, are designed to bring the community together. Toyota believes that encouraging human connection will be an equally important aspect of this experience.
It’s a grand experiment, clearly more well thought out than previous utopian attempts. In fact, it all sounds, well, ideal. But don’t reserve the moving truck just yet!
For more information, visit: www.woven-city.global