Case Study Overview
| Partners |
General Incorporated Association SMART Fukushi Lab, Nikken Sekkei Ltd., and many others |
|---|---|
| Inquiry Details | The "mobility challenges" faced by local cities are not merely a lack of transportation options; they are complex social issues that cross-cut various fields such as welfare, education, and logistics. Therefore, it is difficult for a single business operator or administration to solve them alone, making a tripartite approach involving citizens, businesses, and the government essential. However, it is not easy for diverse stakeholders with different positions and interests to sit at the same table and align their efforts (co-create) towards concrete actions such as pilot projects. Support was sought for designing the overall process to ensure the project could operate independently and sustainably, managing dialogue spaces that avoid creating confrontational structures, and "visualizing" the complex issues to be shared by all stakeholders. |
| Project Outline |
We supported the creation of a foundation for diverse stakeholders—citizens, businesses, and government—to co-create solutions for complex local "mobility challenges." Instead of starting with service development, we focused on "Community Drive Project" which emphasizes "human resource development" and "consensus-building processes." Zukai Soken has provided comprehensive support from the initial stages, including overall project design, promotion as a secretariat, planning and operating workshops, and developing a "mobility challenge map" to serve as a common language for dialogue. |
| Period |
July 2024 – |
About This Project
Under the concept of "creating local mobility together," the "Community Drive Project (CDPJ)" focuses on nurturing proactive individuals (community drivers) to drive the region, prior to service development. Zukai Soken participated in this project alongside its partners: the General Incorporated Association SMART Fukushi Lab (located in Kurobe City, Toyama Prefecture), which promotes DX in welfare, and Nikken Sekkei Ltd. (located in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), an architectural and civil engineering design and supervision firm specializing in urban design. Our involvement went beyond merely producing outputs like "visualizing challenges"; we provided comprehensive support for the entire co-creation process. This included overall project design, practical administrative tasks as the secretariat such as setting agendas for regular meetings, task management, and information sharing among stakeholders, as well as planning and facilitating dialogue sessions (workshops).
This project has been selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Mobility Human Resource Development Model Project for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 (https://www.mlit.go.jp/sogoseisaku/transport/kyousou/).
For more details, please visit the website below:
https://cdpj.jp/
1. Overall project design and promotion as secretariat
From the initial setup phase, we deeply engaged in the secretariat functions, structuring and organizing the project's objectives, roadmap, and the roles and relationships of each entity involved. By clarifying the entire process using diagrams and other visual aids, we provided a compass for all members involved, ensuring they wouldn't lose sight of "which phase we are in and what we are aiming for." This helped manage complex interests and balance dynamics inherent in co-creation projects.
2. Planning and facilitation of workshops where diverse sectors converge
We were responsible for everything from planning to overall facilitation of the workshops held multiple times in Kurobe City, Toyama Prefecture, and Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture. We organized and structured diverse opinions and emotional voices from participants with different perspectives (residents, government, businesses). This encouraged insights like "Oh, this issue and that issue were connected," and designed a dialogue space that fostered mutual understanding and consensus building, rather than a confrontational structure of "government vs. residents."
3. Development of a "Mobility Challenge Map" and other tools as a common language for dialogue
We analyzed hundreds of voices gathered through workshops and online surveys (Liqlid and Honne POST) using AI. We then uncovered the true issues behind these superficial problems, connecting causal relationships and negative feedback loops that exacerbate each other's problems with arrows, visualizing them on a single "Mobility Challenge Map."
This challenge map allowed us to establish a common understanding that the challenges of each stakeholder are, in fact, interconnected, and that overcoming them requires cross-stakeholder solidarity. As a next step, this shared understanding of the challenges was also used by residents to plan and execute actions on which challenges to address.
Project Outcomes and Future Prospects
Through meticulous process design, facilitation of dialogue, and the visualized challenge map, we have created a situation where all involved parties can feel a sense of ownership in the project. The map has inspired local residents to realize "there are things we can do," leading to the emergence of proactive individuals (community drivers). In Kurobe City, micro-projects (small-scale pilot projects) such as "Operation No-More-Reluctance-to-Ride" and "Mutual Aid Transportation" have been initiated by residents themselves.
This project represents one practical application of creating "new entry points for social participation" through the visualization of challenges using diagrams and the design of processes involving diverse stakeholders. We are working to establish this mechanism in a sustainable form, prepare for its expansion nationwide, and further promote its implementation in society.