The City Transition Summer Course for International Student 2024 was held on September 9-10, 2024, with the collaboration of the Association for Planning and Transportation Studies ((一社)計画・交通研究会), and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS, 政策大学院大学).

On the first day, the lectures were held on the Hongo campus of UTokyo. On the second day, a study tour, smart city proposals from students, and lectures were held in Koto City. The program is available here.

Participants included 16 students from 12 countries and 7 universities in Japan joining in person, and 10 students and researchers from 7 countries online.

On the first day, Prof. Takashi Fuse and Prof. Yasunori Akashi of the University of Tokyo introduced advanced research results on national land disaster prevention and sensing for smart buildings. The specialists from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) presented their vision for national land policy regarding urban planning and automated driving. Also, the specialists from companies, including JR East, Shimizu Corporation, Mitsui Fudosan, Nissan Motor, and IHI gave lectures on their efforts in railroad, construction, real estate, urban planning, and social implementation through technological development and integration.

On the morning of the second day, a study tour organized by Prof. Akira Takayama of Tokyo University of the Arts (東京藝術大学) and his team, Port B, was conducted in Koto City. The participants learned about the historical and cultural background and discussed their smart city proposals for current cities.

In the afternoon, the students presented and discussed their smart city proposals at Shimizu Corporation NOVARE, and received comments from Prof. Eiji Hato. The presentations include the proposal of their hometown and that of Koto City. From the presentations, we learned about various challenges encountered in different cities and also found similarities, such as unfriendly public transportation systems and pedestrian spaces.

Then, lectures on i-Construction by Shimizu Corporation and Prof. Kazumasa Ozawa are provided. Not only autonomous vehicles making the transportation environment better, but also robots could help in construction sites, and provide safer working environments. Finally, certificates of completion are presented.

In this summer course, participants learned a wide range of knowledge from research to social implementation through lectures from experts in industry, government, and academia. It is very nice to receive comments from participants that they gained new knowledge in the course.