Towards a new society brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic;
For a “green wellness city” that satisfies the need for coexistence between nature and urban living

　In the 19th century, when people began to focus on environmental problems in cities, the idea was first proposed in the United Kingdom and the United States that green public spaces such as parks and green spaces should be developed in cities with a certain hierarchical structure. Ebenezer Howard (1850–1928) created a garden city in the UK, and Frederick Law (1822–1903) Olmsted implemented a park system in the US.
　In Japan as well, greenery as a public space in cities has been created and conserved in various ways since modernization. During the era of high-economic growth, the national government began issuing requirements and guidance for the greening of private premises, with a view to controlling pollution and conserving the environment.
　Today the demand for enrichment of the quality and quantity of green spaces in cities has grown even greater, as a measure to prevent heat islands and to improve the quality of the urban landscape.
　The lifestyles and behavioral patterns of city dwellers are changing in tandem with the development of ICT, and many observers view the COVID-19 phenomenon as a turning point that will further accelerate this trend. In particular, the growing interest in wellness will dramatically widen the scope of use of outdoor and semi-outdoor public spaces.
　A wide variety of academic and empirical studies have been conducted regarding the health benefits that natural elements in cities, such as green spaces, water and light, bestow on people's minds and bodies. It is a given that green environments can increase human productivity and creativity.
　In the future, the perspective of creating green wellness cities focusing on green public spaces full of green plants and the like will be important for the development of cities everywhere.

　To create a green wellness city, we will particularly need to focus on green spaces as infrastructure and give it pride of place as the heart of the city.
　Elements of nature must be introduced into the city actively, not only in networks of parks and green spaces but also in public spaces such as roads, rivers, regulating reservoirs and railroad tracks, redefining these spaces as city-activity and health-promotion infrastructure. Along such green infrastructure routes, wellness-city frameworks can be created by building homes as well as small-scale workspaces, shops, facilities that support local cultures and exchanges, and commons areas.

　Similar changes are also anticipated for the overall functional configuration of cities. For example, as the central business district becomes more versatile and complex, the elements that determine its value will be the amenities possessed by the entire environment of the district. These include features such as the design value of public spaces, such as its walkability and green quality, as well as its environment for cultural and industrial development environment.
　In suburbs and regional cities, it is believed that business venues will continue to accumulate in places close to where people live and will be equipped with high-value-added amenities. Specifically, areas like the Micro Business District, a composite urban industrial community with a mixture of various urban functions and natural elements on a smaller scale, will emerge in suburban and local urban centers in multiple locations. Also, in the center of that neighborhood, verdant, human-scale commons and streets will always form as bustling areas and centers of interaction.

　Nikken Design's Innovation Campus area in Kashiwanoha, where Nikken Design was involved in creating a master plan, is a composite development district with a mix of workplaces and residences. This area, which includes water features and relaxing spaces at the center, is an example of the type of micro-business district I have described here. The creation of a green-centric, mosaic-like city is what the cities of the future should aspire to be.

　This green wellness city aims to promote the well-being of society through coexistence between nature and the city. We will continue to showcase the permanent value to society of green wellness cities through detailed proposals.