New Year marks beginning of major changes around Osaka Station

[Vapour]

Kansai in Focus: New Year marks beginning of major changes around Osaka Station
The year 2005 is likely to be called a year that will determine whether Osaka will be able to move forward to take large steps toward becoming an international 'metropolitan area with a sense of existence.' It is because major changes will start in an area stretching from JR Osaka Station, the biggest railway terminal in Western Japan including its freight yard to the vicinity of Nishi Umeda.
Prefectural and municipal government officials, business and industrial leaders have been studying in earnest since 2002 the development of the 'last choice land in the heart of Osaka,' a 24-hectare site centering around Umeda Freight Train Station on the northern side of JR Osaka Station. After the central government has designated it as one of areas necessary to be renewed urgently under the Special Measures for Urban Renewal Law, the International Concept Competition Committee of Osaka Station -Northern Umeda area was set up and then an international competition was carried out.

Basic plan formulated
The Osaka Municipal Government and others established last spring the 'consultative council to promote the creation of a town in the Osaka Station-Northern Umeda area.' The council formulated a basic development plan in the summer. It comprises five pillars such as the 'establishment of a gateway that Osaka will take pride in the world,''creation of a lively town where people can promote rapport with each other,''creation of a 'knowledge capital' for activities of intelligent formation,''establishment of a town through public-private sector coordination,' and 'establishment of an environment brimmed with water and greenery.' The plan's aim is to integrate the Osaka Station area with Umeda area south of the station to become the center of a wide area in the Kansai region and to knot 'knowledge.' Of the 24-hectare Osaka Station-Northern Umeda area planned for development, 7 hectares is scheduled to be sold to developers within this year ahead of the other land. Under the basic plan, the project site will be divided into four zones- 'dressing,''knowledge capital,''meeting' and 'station square' zones. Attention is focused on the 'knowledge capital' that will be the hub of intelligent activities for the creation of new industries and businesses with the 'research and development base for next generation robots' expected to assume a central part. A group of people, including Prof. Minoru Asada of the graduate school of Engineering , Osaka University's , are crafting concrete plans.

Futuristic metropolitan space
Asada, one of the founders of the international Humanoid Soccer League Championship RoboCup that has been held since 1997, has been calling in public lectures for the proposed base to be 'open-type research facilities where all kinds of technologies on robotics will be evolved and that the facilities will conduct experiments and make proposals on symbiosis of robots and humans and their living space of tomorrow.' If such plans are crystallized, 'futuristic metropolitan space' completely different from such developed areas as Tokyo's Shiodome district will be realized in the heart of Osaka where robots will walk, run and go along shopping with humans. Asada said if Osaka creates the 'sole facilities and space' people will come from the rest of the world.
Precisely, 2005 is going to become a milestone that will determine tomorrow for the area surrounding Osaka Station as SHIKI THEATRE COMPANY opened its theater in the vicinity of the station on January 5, while Hankyu Department Stores, Inc., Osaka Central Post Office, the Sankei Shimbun and others will give a concrete form to designs and plans to build or reconstruct their buildings.
Together with people, the hardware aspect of the Osaka-Kansai region will be put in order to contribute to further growth with Kobe Airport due to open in 2006, Kansai International Airport slated to offer for use in 2007 in the second phase of its construction, and work to be materialized on 16 meters in the depth of water at Hanshin Port, the super nerve harbor integrating Kobe port with Osaka port. The renewal of Osaka-Kansai hinges on the creation of Osaka , which is said to be the last redevelopment effort. The year will be a period of win or lose for Osaka. (J)

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Robots mingling with shoppers?

[Nick]

Vapour.This is great to hear.I read about a proposal for the redevelopement of this area sometime back in 2002.When I first arrived in Osaka in 1999,it astounded me why such a large area next to the station was just left vacant or used for frieght storage.Embarrising really.I had to look at this area from 20 floors up in my school for two years.

Right now they are starting to rip apart the old station to make way for the new one,opening in 2007.Its going to be the largest station in Japan and fully enclosed.

A very interesting article.Cheers

[Vapour]

Hey Nick, someone posted renders of the future station long ago, was it you? Coldstar?

[Wagahai]

Check this, Vapour-San
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~jj8k-nkmc/top-04.08.09.htm

[Vapour]

ありがとうWagahai

[mrgazpacho]

Originally Posted by Nick

it astounded me why such a large area next to the station was just left vacant or used for frieght storage.

LOL when I was on holiday there in 2003 I almost got lost trying to get to the Umeda Sky Building from Osaka station because of all the rail lines and grungy yards (didn't know about the pedestrian subway ^_^); )


Another thing was I went on holiday there for about 5 days with my brother in April 2004 - every time we came out of the station, it was at a different exit LOL!

[Nick]

Originally Posted by Wagahai

Check this, Vapour-San
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~jj8k-nkmc/top-04.08.09.htm

Sagoi!!!

Its going to a big place when its finished