INSIGHTS

2019.09.11

R&D DISCUSSION Vol. 15

How to create public spaces with 100% occupancy rate
Research on Plaza Spaces Vol.2 [Part 2]

Yuko Yamashita Yamashita, Network creator, Hiroba-nist

R&D DISCUSSION TOP

Q: How exactly is it used?

A: From the beginning, we have tried to never say "NO", so we have held a wide variety of events, such as high school dance recitals, local product exhibitions, public weddings, disaster prevention training, Bon Odori, boxing matches, job hunting events such as company information sessions, and public viewings. There is also a market hosted by a housewife that has been held more than five times a year for more than 10 years [Photo 1]. What started as a small event for local beer lovers has now become a gathering of local beers from all over the country, and buses are sent all the way from Tokyo to attend. We have also turned the annual maintenance of the glass roof into a contest for the cleaning industry, and have turned it into a cleaning event in which we participate ourselves. We also had a large recital by 120 harmonica enthusiasts. We deliberately held it on a department store's closed day because we didn't want to cause any trouble because we would be making noise. Also, at one point, Toyama University asked us for advice on promoting their university festival, but the entire square was reserved for an event that day. However, we said, "You are free to walk," and proposed a performance in which a large number of students with advertising on their heads would pass through the square. I think the advertising effect was also enormous. Our policy is to encourage as much freedom and autonomy as possible, but we do provide solid advice and support. Even though it is for exclusive use, there are traffic lines, so it is not possible to rent it out completely. I think it is precisely because it cannot be rented out that it has value. However, if you do not understand this before you start, you will be in trouble. No matter how much the users are paying for the use, we were actively involved, especially in the beginning. After about the fifth year, the users had a set lineup, so now we have adopted our original policy of watching over them.

We also made it possible to make reservations up to a year in advance. If there are 365 teams that make presentations here once a year, it will be in operation all year round. Some people have become accustomed to making reservations for next year after the event is over and then going home. Isn't it wonderful that the town is filled with people who are excited and looking forward to the year ahead? From the beginning, we have been mindful of making the Grand Plaza a "special place" that makes people want to make presentations and dress up and go out, and I think this is the secret to increasing the occupancy rate. When I moved to Toyama, it was a completely car-oriented society, so there were very few people walking around the town, and even if there were, they were in tracksuits, which was quite a shock. At the Grand Plaza, a relationship of always being seen by others was created, and now the people of Toyama have become very fashionable, and many people are walking around the town.

[Photo 1] Various events held at the Grand Plaza [Provided by the Grand Plaza Office]

Q: Please tell us about the efforts you make to create a lively atmosphere even on weekdays.

A: When we first opened, we had few staff, and while we were thinking about how to attract more customers, we first invited kindergartens and nursery schools to come and play, and we worked on making it a "place for children in the city." The sight of children having fun playing gives people a sense of security and is a great way to create a lively atmosphere. Since kindergartens and nursery schools also have teachers, we can handle it with fewer staff. On weekdays when there are no events, we spread an artificial turf mat in one corner of the square and set up a permanent "Building Block Square" [Photo 2] where people can play with building blocks made of magnolia wood from Toyama Prefecture. Like tables and chairs, the Building Block Square gives people the impression that this is a place for people, and also serves as a landmark for the square. The pleasant sound of the building blocks echoes through the square, and an empty place is suddenly transformed into a lively and fun place. We also hold an event called "Drawing with Chalk" [Photo 3]. All you have to do is prepare chalk, and children can draw whatever they like in a certain area. In fact, the main event is cleaning up after the event. The floors at the Grand Plaza are made of granite, so one of the great things about it is that you can run water over them and splash around to clean them. In fact, the kids love the deck brushes more than the chalk. As children play barefoot, the plaza becomes cleaner and more beautiful.

We started inviting not only children but also people from nearby elderly care facilities to join us on walks. I think it is important to free children into as many different types of relationships as possible. I think that everyone here today feels the same way, but people who cherish their town no matter how old they are have one thing in common: they have fond memories of their town from their childhood. I want children to feel attached to their town and to become people who can think about their town in the future. It is an investment in the future of the region, so to speak. I hope that the town will grow into one that reflects the urban vision of my favorite architect, Louis Kahn, who said, "A city is a place where a small child walks through it and encounters something that teaches him what he wants to do with his life in the future."

[Photo 2] Tsumiki Square
[Provided by the National Machinaka Hiroba Research Association]
[Photo 3] Cleaning up after drawing with chalk
[Provided by Grand Plaza Office]

Q: After Toyama Grand Plaza got on track, you moved to any plazas in need around the country and helped out there. What kind of initiatives have you taken in the other plazas you have worked on?

A: In 2017, I was introduced to the Hachinohe City Plaza in Aomori Prefecture by Professor Keiji Kitahara of Hirosaki University, who told me that they were currently building a plaza but were having trouble and didn't know what to do. That was the "Hachinohe Machinaka Hiroba Machi-niwa" [Photo 4], which opened in July 2018. Hachinohe City built a bookstore directly managed by the city in the city center, which became a hot topic, in an effort to bring back the city's liveliness through culture, and this is an all-weather plaza that can be opened and closed and faces the bookstore. It is operated by the Hachinohe Portal Museum Hacchi, located opposite, and in the center of the plaza is a fountain object called "Water Tree" created by art director Chie Morimoto. Once an hour, a sound and light performance is held. I am generally not called in unless there is a problem, but since the opening was less than a year away, I worked hard to resolve any hardware issues that could cause problems in operation and to prepare the necessary equipment. For example, I did things like deciding what to show on a 203-inch large screen and changing the position of a warehouse door that was too deep and difficult to use. Before that, I was involved in the Akashi Civic Plaza in Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture [Photo 5]. It is an indoor plaza located on the second floor of the Akashi Station Redevelopment Building, which opened in January 2017, and is located at the end of the escalator after leaving the station. The upper floors house a library and the city hall counter. If you continue walking, you will reach the shopping street, which was created to revitalize the shopping street and is run by the tourist association. I have been helping out here for about five years since the opening, and since the importance of the plaza was not recognized within the city hall, I was called in to act as an internal coordinator. After the opening, we conducted marketing research on how the plaza would be used. We analyzed the survey results and reflected them in improving the hardware and planning events. We have also assisted with projects such as Rokukakudo Square in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and have learned that by developing a "square" as a public work and properly managing and operating it, the government can provide "continuous" support for creating a lively atmosphere.

I believe that in today's digital society, it is important to interact with real people. Professor Miyaguchi Toji of Waseda University, who served as chairman of the Toyama City Urban Planning Council, said that the significance of the compact city that Toyama City is promoting is "to increase the opportunities for people to meet each other." This is where a "large plaza" is very effective. It is a single space where many people can gather, and yet there is a large "margin." People become familiar with each other by spending time together. Even without talking, just recognizing each other's existence creates diverse communication. This "not having to talk" is quite important. It is also an interesting thing unique to core cities. A plaza is a place where the space and margins create an intersection between the manifest and the potential.

[Photo 4] Hachinohe Machinaka Square Machiniwa
(Opening: 2018 / Design: INA New Architecture Institute / Square size: approx. 25.7m x approx. 30.7m)
[Provided by Hachinohe Portal Museum Hacchi]
[Photo 5] Akashi Civic Square
(Opening: 2017 / Design: Tohata Architects and Obayashi Corporation Joint Venture / Square size: approx. 22m x approx. 23m)
[Provided by Akashi Civic Square Office]
Back to Part 1

PROFILE

People and network creator, Hiroba-nist

Yuko Yamashita

Yuko Yamashita

Born in 1974. Director of the National Machinaka Hiroba Research Group and director of the NPO GP Network. Moved to Toyama in 1999 and involved in planning and producing theater and art-related events. Has worked at the Grand Plaza Management Office since 2007. Completed the 21st National Regional Leader Training Course run by the Regional Revitalization Center General Incorporated Foundation in 2009. Has been in charge of Machizukuri Toyama Grand Plaza Co., Ltd. since 2010. Director of the NPO GP Network since 2011. Became an independent hiroba nist in 2014. Has since been involved in creating machinaka hiroba in cities across the country, including Hachinohe, Toyota, Senboku, Kobe, Akashi, and Kurume. Wrote the book "Nigiwai no Ba Toyama Grand Plaza: How to Create a Public Space with a 100% Occupancy Rate" (Gakugei Publishing/2013).

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Update : 2018.09.21

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