Reframing Infrastructure in a Positive Light to Offer New Values for Society

My research pertains to urban and transport planning. Within that broad field, I focus particularly on research that creates new value for society by rethinking infrastructure in a positive light.

Infrastructure has traditionally been evaluated and developed for solving an existing negative, such as building a road to relieve traffic congestion. It is widely known, however, that this approach can be counterproductive in the long run, as less congestion through more roads has, in some cases, led to a shift away from public transport to car travel, which in turn worsened road congestion.

We decided to reframe the thinking around infrastructure, from something that addresses a negative to a positive in its own right. In other words, by considering how infrastructure can create new value, our aim is to give rise to a society that harnesses the full potential of infrastructure.

A society is made up of multiple cities, each shaped by the millions of actions and decisions of its residents. Thus, our research begins with a set of mathematical models that expresses those people’s decision-making and behavioral mechanisms. Using these models, we simulate how infrastructure influences people’s decision-making and behavior.  By exploring the value each piece of infrastructure brings to society, we try to identify which types of infrastructure can contribute to societal prosperity.

A framework for simulating the co-evolution of activity engagement and social networks, showing how connections increase gradually as people engage in activities.

Infrastructure Boosts Interaction, Creating a Society Capable of Addressing Its Own Issues

Of the many imaginable values created by infrastructure, our project “Urban Activity Dynamics and the Emergence of Joint Action,” which was selected for the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s (JST) Fusion Oriented Research for Disruptive Science and Technology, focuses on boosting social interactions in cities.

Cities have many issues that cannot be solved by government alone, so “bottom-up” urban planning, in which people who find problems launch citizen groups or start-ups to solve those problems autonomously, is important.

How, then, can such urban development be achieved? The key is interpersonal interactions, because in a city where day-to-day interaction is common, it should be easier for people with skills and ideas to meet and take action together to solve problems. Thus, our idea was to run simulations to find the infrastructures that promote interaction so that it can be used to help create autonomous, decentralized societies.

The JST’s support provides for a seven-year program. We plan to use the first three years to develop mathematical model of the relationship between people’s interaction patterns and the number of NGOs and startups in a city, and establish a basic theory on which to base the simulations. In the latter four years, We intend to run simulations using mathematical models and plan infrastructure that promotes interpersonal interactions.

Striving for a Theory to Inform Policy Debate

In our JST-supported research, we place considerable importance on building a robust, persuasive theory.

“Boosting interpersonal interaction” is a more abstract concept than conventionally-cited issues such as relieving traffic congestion, and its value is not easily assessed or converted into monetary terms. Moreover, “boosting interaction will result in good outcomes” will not be taken seriously in policy debate. It is vital, therefore, that mathematical models clearly illustrate the significance of interaction.

In this JST-supported project, I hope to establish a theory that can be used in infrastructure development and can suggest the first steps toward the next generation of infrastructure.

Harnessing Infrastructure’s Potential to Solve Problems Large and Small

Infrastructure has an impact on more things than we can imagine. It is our hope that we will one day be able to evaluate the potential of infrastructure to resolve problems large and small, including everything from major social issues such as poverty and peace, to personal daily routines such as picking up children and shopping for dinner.

Infrastructure is not immune from the changing times. For example, the arrival of electric vehicles means that the infrastructure of movement (i.e., cars) and the infrastructure of energy (storage batteries) are now closely intertwined. We stay attuned to developments across various fields as part of our research, ensuring we remain aligned with such changes.

I look forward to the work of harnessing infrastructure to create real value that contributes to a society where everyone can lead happier and more fulfilling lives.