Inter Cell City
Creating a Sustainable, Environmentally Conscious City
Inter Cell City refers to a concept city proposed by Shimizu for the International Competition for Sustainable Urban System Design. Entries for this competition were required to incorporate measures that address the following three areas related to energy efficiency and urban systems for 21st-century society.
- 1. Proposal for a sustainable urban system that can be self-sustained for more than 100 years
- 2. A concrete proposal for an energy system capable of supporting a city infrastructure
- 3. Proposal of a subject city which must be an existing city with a population exceeding 100,000, and proposal for its transformation into a sustainable city over a period of 100 years
To tackle this colossal project, Shimizu organized a team consisting of employees with a wide range of expertise and invited Takao Kashiwagi, professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and Naomichi Kurata, professor at Kogakuin University, to join as advisers on energy issues and urban planning issues, respectively. For three years, the team members combined their expertise and knowledge to push this project forward, setting aside all commercial aspects of the enterprise.
The Inter Cell City Proposal
The sprawling subject city is first divided into small-scale urban units we named "Community Cells." Next, green areas we named "Green Cells" are created for each Community Cell. Each pair of Community Cell and Green Cell forms a small-scale circulation system to promote the recycling and reuse of materials and energy.
These circulation systems are networked to provide complementary functions. While interacting with the existing wide-area infrastructure, the circulation systems complete a broad, sustainable urban system.
Small-scale inter-cell circulation system
Cell development process
City of Fuji Water System and Its Energy System
We applied the Inter Cell System to the "City of Fuji Water System," which contains two cities, Numazu and Mishima, and two towns, Nagaizumi and Shimizu, focusing on the abundant water resources in the Mt. Fuji area.
The Inter Cell City project sets forth a scenario and various systems that would reduce fossil fuel consumption by 90% within 100 years. This conversion process calls for a gradual shift to natural energy and hydrogen-fuel cells, with a transition period during which LNG serves as the primary energy source.
Creating an Urban System Based on Citizen Initiative
To promote the creation of a sustainable urban system based on the joint efforts of three distinct groups—citizens, corporations, and government—we established a basic "Trust Triangle" concept. This idea calls for establishing a number of Trust Triangle formations equal to the number of cells and allowing each Trust Triangle organization to determine the future of its own cell.
Enhancement of the independence of each pair of cells stimulates the development of unique characteristics in each cell. Interactions among adjacent cells lead to diversity and self-determination for the entire city.
Extensive GIS Use in Urban Design Processes
A geographical information system (GIS) is a technology developed in the United States whose original purpose was to apply geographical data obtained by satellites for military use. Today, GIS is widely used for a much wider range of applications, including disaster-prevention planning, commercial strategy formulation, and car navigation systems.
For the Inter Cell City proposal, Shimizu used GIS data for existing cities and towns throughout a wide range of urban design processes, including analysis, planning, evaluation, and presentation.
Inter Cell City after 100 years
