Smart Cities and Japan's Energy Transition by Sokołowski, Maciej M.; Shimpo, Fumio;

Short description:

This book offers a complex and problem-based analysis of the past, present, and future of smart cities in Japan’s energy transition. This book will be a valuable resource for all interested in energy transition, climate action, and smart cities, where Japan and Japanese smart cities serve as excellent benchmarks.

Long description:

This book offers a complex and problem-based analysis of the past, present, and future of smart cities in Japan’s energy transition.

With 92% of Japanese living in urban areas and a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Japan’s energy future will depend largely on how its cities can become smarter, greener, and more resilient. To reach these ambitions, a collective effort is required, with actions coming from Tokyo to Kumamoto, from Yokohama to Sapporo, and throughout dozens of smaller and bigger Japanese urban structures. This book addresses the key issues that have emerged or may emerge in various Japanese cities that are pursuing smart energy initiatives. The authors examine several issues, including international cooperation, heating decarbonisation, foreign direct investments, city planning, housing policies, and technology-related risks in the context of Japan’s energy transition.

Drawing on case studies from different regions of Japan and sectors of Japanese economy significant for reaching carbon neutrality, this book will be a valuable resource for all interested in energy transition, climate action, and smart cities, where Japan and Japanese smart cities serve as excellent benchmarks.

Table of Contents:

Foreword (Winston Chow)  Preface (Maciej M. Sokołowski and Fumio Shimpo)  Acknowledgements (Maciej M. Sokołowski and Fumio Shimpo)  1. Smart Cities and Japan’s Energy Transition: Connecting Yesterday with Tomorrow (Maciej M. Sokołowski and Fumio Shimpo)  2. Japanese Smart Cities in the Context of Local Decarbonisation and International Cooperation (Muneki Adachi and Klaudia Pryjmak)  3. The Role of Inward and Outward FDI in Sustainable Smart Cities (Jesper Edman)  4. “Smart” Cities and Dumb Solutions: The Risks of Technology-Reliant Solutions for Decarbonisation in Japan (Jordan Carlson and Gregory Trencher)  5. Deepening the City-Region Divide in 21st Century Japan: Smart Cities as a Tool to Achieve Administrative Neoliberalisation (Kie Sanada and Marco Zappa)  6. Learning the Characteristics of Vacant Houses: Smart Solutions for Japanese Municipalities (Yuki Akiyama)  7. Legal System and Public Policy of Smart Cities in Energy Transition: Germany – Japan Contexts (Fukuzo Hasegawa)  8. Heat Decarbonisation: A Solution for the Future Compact Cities in Japan (Makoto Tajima)  9. Satellite Applications for Sustainable Urban Energy (Damian M. Bielicki)  10. Energy Transition in Japan’s SDGs Future Cities: Toyama, Sapporo and Kumamoto (Hiroshi Ito)  11. Smart City Development Underway: Lessons from Shin-Sapporo’s Smart City (Carin Holroyd)  12. Democratic Legitimacy of the Smart City: A Case Study of Yokohama (Yuichiro Tsuji)  13. Sustainable Smart City Tokyo: Between Problems of the Past and Chances of the Future (Maciej M. Sokołowski and Fumio Shimpo)