When you travel to Japan, the first thing you notice is that most schoolchildren travel to schools by public transport, either by bus or by train. They are obliged to do so since parents are forbidden to drive their children. This is not prohibited in the rest of the world, but here it is. Although the distance between home and school is very long, they are forced to walk or use public transport.
The organization of this country with 127 million people concentrated in a very small territory means that measures like this have to be taken. That is why perhaps this Asian country has also become an experimental base for self-sufficient cities.
The first self-sufficient city
This self-sufficient city is located on the outskirts of Tokyo, in Fujisawa. It is a large neighborhood that has about a thousand low houses, which have gardens and solar panels everywhere. In it there are electric cars and a rational use of energy. It can be said that it is a sustainable smart city in which, thanks to all these characteristics, CO2 emissions are reduced by 70%. In addition, through rational use and appropriate installed equipment, rainwater can be used, reducing water consumption by 30%.
Fujisawa has been a great success, although it must be said that these projects are not easy to carry out. The first thing is that for Fujisawa to be born, it started from the multinational Panasonic. This managed to bring together authorities and companies as well as a public that was willing to participate. Seeing the success that Fujisawa has had, this company has just embarked on a second project: to use the large factory that is currently disused in Yokohama to create a second sustainable residential area.
In Fujisawa, landscaped areas are used to install solar panels. The street lamps, illuminated with efficient LED lights, are turned on a few meters in front and a few meters behind the passers-by. When no one is on the street, they turn off.
This is an example of how cities can be sustainable and reduce the impacts we cause on the planet.