Kashiwa-Toyoshikidai Projects for Enabling Age-friendly Communities

This project is a series of efforts jointly led by the municipality of Kashiwa City, the Urban Renaissance Agency, and the University of Tokyo, aiming at identifying the problems faced by highly aging communities and solving them by re-designing community infrastracture, social systems, services, and people’s lifestyles. Started in 2009, the three parties work together to enable age-friendly communities in Toyoshikidai-area and other areas in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, a typical suburban town in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Several projects are running under the common objective: to make the community where anyone can actively participate in, and live safely and with dignity. More specifically, (1) Development of the system and methods for promoting after-retirement jobs and social participation, (2) Development and implementation of a community-based frailty prevention program. (3) Promotion of home-care and integrated community care, are examples of the projects conducted under this collegium. Each project is designed and conducted as an ”action research” and multi stakeholders in the community including residents, NPOs, commercial organizations, professionals, students and researchers work as a team for both research and action.

- Kashiwa City
- UR(Urban Renaissance Agency)

- Hiroko Akiyama, ‘Japan’s longevity challenges’. Science 04 Dec 2015: Vol.350, Issue 6265, pp.1135.