Strategic spatial planning, “smart shrinking,” and the deployment of CAVs in rural Japan

Banerjee, Ian; Furutani, Tomoyuki · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-63354-0_13

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This paper investigates how Japan’s strategic spatial planning frameworks conceptualize and guide the deployment of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) in rural areas. Motivated by Japan’s severe demographic crisis—characterized by rapid aging, shrinking populations, and the risk of "disappearing municipalities"—the authors analyze the relationship between national spatial strategies and local mobility innovations. The research aims to determine if the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) serves as an effective tool for steering CAV development to address socioeconomic challenges, offering a relational view of CAVs within broader governance and planning contexts. The study employs a qualitative approach based on literature reviews, policy analysis, and field experiences, including insights from the SIP-adus Workshop and Keio University experiments. It examines three analytical dimensions: the evolution of national spatial planning, shifts in governance structures, and the institutional setup for CAV deployment. The authors trace Japan’s planning history from the Comprehensive National Development Plans (1962–1998), which focused on balanced growth, to the Grand Design for the 21st Century (1998–2008), which introduced compact city concepts and Transport-Oriented Design (TOD) to counter depopulation. The analysis focuses heavily on the watershed year of 2014, when the government introduced the National Grand Design 2050 and the 2nd National Spatial Strategy, alongside the Masuda Report, which warned of municipal extinction. The findings reveal that Japan’s response to depopulation has shifted from centralized control to a multilevel governance model encouraging bottom-up participation. The current NSS promotes a "compacted and networked" territorial structure, identifying specific zones for economic specialization and core regional cities to retain young populations. CAV deployment is embedded within this framework through the Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), specifically the SIP-adus initiative, which coordinates cross-sectoral research and local experiments. The paper highlights that CAV tests in rural and mountainous regions are not merely technological trials but are designed to maintain public services, such as transport and healthcare, in areas where traditional infrastructure is becoming unsustainable due to population decline. The significance of this research lies in its demonstration of how strategic spatial planning can integrate technological innovation with socio-territorial restructuring. By linking CAV deployment to the NSS, Japan attempts to create sustainable settlement patterns and revitalize rural areas. The authors conclude that Japan’s approach offers a model for other regions facing similar aging and shrinking challenges, particularly in Europe, by showing how mobility strategies can be leveraged to support community identity and service provision in depopulating areas. The paper underscores the importance of viewing CAVs not just as technological tools but as components of a broader, inclusive spatial strategy aimed at securing national prosperity amidst demographic contraction.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• driverless ads