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#9 |
Going at Human Speed in the City |
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What Design Can Do in the Future |
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1. City Cruiser: "VELOTAXI" |
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The Velotaxi, touted as a "transportation method without CO2 emissions," has been in operation in the German capital of Berlin for 7 years. With the approval of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany and the cooperation of the city of Berlin, eighty vehicles are currently used as transportation for both residents and tourists. Velotaxis are also in operation in 20 other cities in 11 countries. The NPO "Ecological-Cities Promoting Association," with headquarters in Kyoto, first introduced the Velotaxi to Japan. Service began in 2002 in Kyoto in May and in Tokyo in October. The Velotaxi has been covered extensively by the media and has attracted considerable interest.
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Noriyuki Morita, Director, Ecological-Cities Promoting Association/NPO |
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Tomoko Hosoo, Secretary-General, Ecological-Cities Promoting Association/NPO |
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Mr. Morita first encountered the Velotaxi in 2000, when he found out that the Velotaxi City Cruiser would be used at the Hanover World Expo in Germany.
Morita: "As soon as I saw them, I wanted to bring them to Japan. I was determined to bring them to Japan. The first thing that attracted me was the shape. It was as if the German concept of nature was condensed into that shape. The designer's consciousness of the environment turned out this type of product. I thought that that was wonderful."
Hosoo: "The form itself is stylish. After checking on it, I found out that it is a well-liked vehicle by the residents of Berlin. I knew that by bringing it to Japan, it would become useful for everyone. We would not only receive compensation for our labor but also a sense of fulfillment."
Preparations took 2 years, as we received advice from experts. Although the steadfast determination to "Make it happen!" persisted, it was not easy to receive approval from the Kyoto prefecture Public Safety Commission for this bicycle-taxi, which had never before been imported to Japan.
Morita: "I was told that it would be impossible (laughs)"
Hosoo: "Even so, Mr. Morita kept going there..."
Consequently, permission was granted for a defined zone of about 800 square meters bordered by Oike, Karasuma, Shijo, and Teramachi Roads in Nakagyo Ward. The Mayor of Kyoto city participated in the opening ceremony at the beginning of the enterprise. The red Velotaxis with 3D mapping (the effect from applying 2D textural data to a 3D cast model) colored the streets. |
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Annually, over 200,000 people use Velotaxis in Berlin, Germany. The vehicle body is made of recyclable polyethylene. |
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The animated body was designed by the German design company "gewerk." One characteristic of this design is the large advertising space. |
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This is a photograph from the first run in Kyoto on May 17 of 2002. In the 3 month period following this launch, the number of passengers reached 10,000. In Kyoto, about 10 Velotaxis are operating based in the "Shin Puh Kan" shopping center on the site of the old NTT building. |
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# Kyoto: Home of the Kyoto Protocol |
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Mr. Morita, who is Kyoto-born and Kyoto-bred, says it was natural to have started in Kyoto. The German company Velotaxi GmbH also felt that it was very meaningful for Kyoto to be the first country outside of Europe to import the Velotaxi.
Hosoo: "It is symbolic that a vehicle that does not emit CO2 is being imported to the "Site of the Kyoto Protocol Adoption." Velotaxi GmbH told us that they want to support our environmental conservation activities. The insides of the temples and shrines in Kyoto are very clean and we are very proud of them, but the center of the city suffers from chronic traffic congestion and is by no means clean.  If we don't clean up the city, we can't boast of being the site of the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, can we? Kyoto prefecture has created the phrase "City-Environment Symbiosis" and has adopted the objective of keeping cars away from the center of town and "creating people-oriented streets that are safe for bicycles and pedestrians." Many obstacles must be cleared in order to make this vision a reality, but both the local government and residents are inclined toward that direction."
Although we are called upon to reduce automobile exhaust as an important part of global warming prevention measures and CO2 reduction, there is no way to reduce something from 10 to zero suddenly. We must try to improve the current situation without negating quality of life and convenience. As part of a policy in support of this idea, the proposal of the Velotaxi will become a vital key. Above all, I believe that there is value in the fact that the people living in Kyoto feel the significance and keep trying to make progress.
[ Note ]
In March 2000, Kyoto established reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions (such as carbon dioxide) that are among the strictest in the nation. ISO14001 certification was acquired and a declaration was made by local governing bodies to develop the nation's largest wind power generation facilities at an early stage. The Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) of the Kansai Science City (KSC) has been involved in experimental projects such as park maintenance, organic processing of sewerage, and recycling, and is promoting the model project of "City-Environment Symbiosis."
Kyoto Prefecture Website
http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/en/index.html |
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# Velotaxi: a tool to change the consciousness of city dwellers |
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The Tokyo debut of Velotaxi was made in collaboration with CIBONE, an interior design shop, at the design event, "Tokyo Designers Block" (TDB) held on October 10th. Prints drawn up by 10 creators were mapped and within 5 days the Velotaxi was operating in the TDB Aoyama area. Mr. Morita commented that the warm reaction from pedestrians exceeded his expectations.
Morita: "I was most pleased by the smiling faces of people on the street when we did a test run in Tokyo. Lively young people on motorbikes would run alongside and say "Cool." (laughs)"
Hosoo: The theme that CIBONE decided on for TDB was "What Design Can Do for the Future." CIBONE proposed (or "It was proposed") that design could do something for
environmental problems, and we wanted to try and thought that we should try.
Morita: "We got a lot out of it."
No matter how many Velotaxis are in operation, as long as the number of automobiles does not decrease, there is no way the volume of exhaust gas will decrease. The Velotaxi brings forth an "opportunity to think about the environment," not only for those who ride in it but also for those who see it on the streets. Simultaneously, it will also make time for people to consider the future individually. Cool! It looks like fun, let's ride! Mr. Morita says that design determines how to create an entrance and how to convey meaning, and some of the most valuable things at TDB involved learning these methods.
Mr. Morita commented on how Velotaxi promotes the "City-Environment Symbiosis."
Morita: "First, we must change the consciousness of people living there. The people who live there will create their town. People with a high level of environmental consciousness will create a city in symbiosis with the environment. Therefore, we don't first change the city; we change the consciousness of the people who create the city." |
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The body is 3 m long, 1.5 m high and weighs 140 kg. It has 21 gears and has a top speed of 25 kph. By feeling the wind and leaving the speed to the Velotaxi, you feel like you' ve become part of the city. |
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Scene at TDB. Five days after this scene, regular operations began in Tokyo (Omotesando, Aoyama area). For the 10 vehicles currently in operation in this area, there are 20 drivers, (still seeking drivers) most of whom are in their 20s. There are also female drivers. |
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[ Velotaxi Outline ]
http://www.velotaxi.jp/
Cost: Basic charge: Adult 300 yen; Child 200 yen. The first 500 meters as measured on a straight line on a map is covered in the basic charge. If 500 meters is exceeded, an additional 50 yen (Adult) and 30 yen (Child) will be charged per 100 meters. The fee is per person and rides are limited to 2 kilometers. Velotaxis are hailed the same as regular taxis. If there is a free Velotaxi, raise your hand to hail it.
Hours of Operation: 11 a.m. - sunset
Kyoto Contact Information:
Shin-Puh-Kan. 1F
586-2 Bano-cho, Anekojisagaru, Karasuma-dori, Nakagyo-ku
Kyoto-city, Japan
Tel: +81-75-241-7645
Tokyo Contact Information:
DAINI Building.1F
1-12-31 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo-to, Japan
Tel: +81-3-5772-8114
Ecological-Cities Promoting Association/NPO
Shin-Puh-Kan. 1F
586-2 Bano-cho, Anekojisagaru, Karasuma-dori, Nakagyo-ku
Kyoto-city, Japan
Tel: +81-75-241-7645
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2. DESIGN=FUTURE
Experiment of Interior Design Shop "CIBONE" |
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"Water Stations," which secure a supply of one of the more natural sources of energy for humans, are scattered around town; people fill up their water bottles, a must-have item for city life, at these stations. These "Water Stations" are relay points for the cool bicycle-taxis that have been established as the transportation for the town center and are places where the drivers can replenish their water, i.e., human energy. |
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At the "Tokyo Designers Block" (TDB) design event held in Aoyama, Tokyo, in October of 2002, CIBONE worked with 9 creators to propose this vision of cities in the not-so-distant future. They showed us this one scene from life in the 21st century. |
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"CIBONE" Supervision,
Masaki Yokokawa, CEO, George's Furniture Co., Ltd. |
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Living Spaces in the Near Future
- What Design Can Do for the Future -
This is the plan that CIBONE sketched out at Aoyama to represent city life in the near future, with water as a medium. In the CIBONE Aoyama Store, the main store, spherical robots are also on display. |
>>> What Design Can Do for the Future |
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Three water stations were installed during the TDB. Design by Ichiro Katami, who supervised the interior design and planning of all three CIBONE shops. |
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The participating creators designed the Velotaxi, water bottles, and T-Shirts as a set. (Christoph Pille, Karim Rashid, Ichiro Katami, Arita Masafumi, Kazuhiko Tomita, TYCOON GRAPHICS, Hiroaki Doi, Kohei Higuchi, and Uichi Yamamoto). Including the CIBONE design, a total of 10 patterns were announced. |
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# The Water Bottle is a symbol of Water itself: Natural and Valuable Energy |
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"The theme of "What Design Can Do for the Future" is also what underlies TDB. The first step was to present the theme for discussion by the entire staff to discover what they thought about it. One staff member suggested the theme of "water bottles," and the conversation turned to how design could save the environment. The conversation focused more and more on the environment, especially in the future. We decided to approach the issue from the angle of design rescuing the future."
In 2001, Japan produced 403,000 tons of PET bottles. A total of 162,000 tons of used bottles were collected with the remaining 241,000 tons being discarded. This volume represents a 1.7% increase over the year before.
And yet, there are no well-designed water bottles that one would want to carry in place of a PET bottle. If one doesn't want to carry a water bottle, it doesn't matter how "correct" something is, it just won't catch on. It will be defeated by the inconvenience of carrying it.
"Even if someone says "don't complain," when something bothers you, it simply bothers you. Surmounting this problem is not a matter of discipline. Rather, I believe that this is the reason design exists." |
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 CIBONE's search for a water bottle to fit this image resulted in the selection of Sigg Water Bottles.
"Of course, the significance of carrying a water bottle is to reduce PET bottle use, but what it symbolizes is the fact that water is the most natural, most essential energy for humans. We selected the Velotaxi because it suited the living space of the near future. And even though gasoline is unnecessary because living human beings drive the Velotaxi, water is certainly necessary. We've been told that water may someday be more expensive than gasoline; I think that instead of treating gasoline as important, we should treat water as important. As the symbol of precious water, we have the water bottle, and of course, the water bottle cannot be a disposable bottle." |
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During the event, a limited number of bicycle water bottles (bottles designed to be used with bicycles) from Sigg sporting 10 different designs from the 9 creators and from CIBONE were on sale. Plain versions of the bottles without designs are sold as standard products. The Sigg bicycle bottles are light and of simple design. The functional beauty of the Sigg bottle led to its selection by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. |
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The "water tanks" placed in the CIBONE shops and at the stations used "Premium Water" supplied by Canadian Springs Water Japan. The water is delicious 99.999% pure fresh water! |
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# The Human Speed of a Bicycle: Feeling the World through all Five Human Senses |
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"One great thing about the Velotaxi is its speed. As technology advances, it is not the case that human happiness is dependent upon faster speeds. A certain fixed speed and a certain convenience level will make humans happy. Speed is necessary, but only up to a point. Anything faster will cause us to lose our humanity. I think that the best speed is the speed at which we can feel the wind, the speed of the Velotaxi."
"You can see the city and know the day's temperature and humidity. I think by doing this, you'll be able to predict tomorrow's weather. You might say 'It feels like rain tomorrow'"
The speed that is attained by human-power conveys the world to our five senses. Certainly this fact is the most important element of using Velotaxis in the city. People ultimately base their beliefs on what they can sense and not what they can reason out.
"While riding in the Velotaxi as though it were an amusement park ride, you are helping protect the environment by conserving energy and reducing exhaust gas. The human-powered Velotaxi is a wonderful example of humans living life to its fullest. Also, the Velotaxi is evidence that although people will use the Velotaxi simply because of the "cool" design, they will end up with a valuable experience." |
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It was impressive that the CIBONE staff who rode in the Velotaxi commented, "While riding, the sounds of the city seemed fresh. And when we stopped, it was natural to talk with pedestrians." |
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# Design Makes People Happy |
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Mr. Yokokawa says that while talking with a designer, he first encountered the phrase "Design has no limits" a thought that remains with him even now.
 "We have so-called mass production and industry that were deemed necessary and therefore fostered, and this accompanied the era when we believed that technology would create happiness. Technology has progressed and machines have become more efficient and smaller. We were raised to believe that this was happiness. But we've entered the 21st century and even if technology continues to make progress, I don't believe that we are going to be happy. Life is easier, but I don't think we are happy. Technology is necessary, but it has its limits. Technology alone will not create happiness. As long as humans can love, design in production will be necessary. Design has no form, but it has no limits either; it can make humans happy. So I truly believed that the 21st century will be the era of design and that design will save our future. We will realize our proposal, the basis of this belief. This is no pipe dream. We truly feel this way."
"For example, we want to be able to sell the Velotaxis to hospitals, schools, and large factories. If differences in speed can be applied, perhaps the Velotaxi can be used for delivery services. I really believe that in 3 years there will be 100 Velotaxis operating in Tokyo."
"In the Aoyama area, the lane to the left of the car lane is reserved for bicycles, not only for Velotaxis but for bicycles and electric skateboards as well. In front of the station is a recharging station, for recharging batteries anytime. I think that we can call a city an "international city" only after such a town plan is realized." |
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# The Era when Business is Making Someone Smile |
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Sketching the future, talking with a lot of people, and giving shape to ideas. Where does the power to do all this come from?
"Simply put, I want to brag about the good things and laugh together. I just want to ask everyone, "Did you know about this great bicycle?" and have people say "Wow!" and be happily surprised. I certainly don't believe that making this happen is in any way bad. I can only be happy if I can make people smile through my own efforts. Design is not marketing, it is expression first. I believe that those who prioritize sales and profits cannot make people smile in the end. Making people smile will ultimately become business. I think that this era has begun. If we view things through the current theory, there are many things that would be considered bad because they won't sell well or because they're inefficient. But we keep saying that there are more important things to do." |
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Inside the CIBONE Aoyama Store |
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[ CIBONE Aoyama ]
http://www.cibone.com/
Address: Aoyama Bell Commons B1, 2-14-6 Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Telephone: 81-3-3475-8017
Hours of Operation: 11a.m. - 9 p.m.
*There are also shops in Kunitachi and Jiyugaoka |
| Report/Photographs: Tami Okano, Think the Earth project |
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