Woven City, the city of the future in which all ecosystems are connected, will soon become a reality. At the end of February, on the old automotive site adjacent to the former Higashi-Fuji plant, Toyota Motor Corporation held the groundbreaking ceremony for the project, which was announced at the Ces in Las Vegas in 2020. Woven City – which will be powered entirely by hydrogen fuel cells – is central to Toyota's transformation from a car manufacturer into a mobility company, with people at its heart and the goal of bringing happiness to everyone.

A 70-hectare area that will be home to more than 2,000 people

The city will extend across a 70-hectare area at the foot of Mount Fuji. Initially it will house around 360 residents, primarily elderly people, families with children and inventors: it will be a kind of living laboratory in which inhabitants will be able to test technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence and automated driving in a real-world environment. Placing people at the centre of community development is the idea underpinning the project, which it is hoped will offer new opportunities to businesses and researchers from around the world; through technological development and new services, Toyota aims to contribute to the creation of a better society for everyone.

After this initial experimental phase, the city will grow to a population of more than 2,000 people. "The Woven City project," declared Toyota president Akio Toyoda, "officially begins today. Acting on what has been decided is never an easy task. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have collaborated on and supported the project up to this point. Together with our partners, we will take on the challenge of creating a future society in which everyone can live happily." The cornerstones of this new urban reality, he added, are that it is "people-centred," "a living laboratory" and "ever-evolving."

Woven City is designed with three different types of route

Many of the most interesting innovations naturally concern the future of mobility. Woven City will have three types of road routes interwoven with one another: one dedicated to automated driving, one to pedestrians and one to pedestrians with personal mobility vehicles; an underground road network is also planned, which will be used for freight transport. The entire city is designed to be completely sustainable, with buildings constructed mostly from timber to minimise CO2 emissions; the roofs will be fitted with photovoltaic panels to generate solar energy, in addition to that produced by the hydrogen fuel cells. Thanks to home automation and artificial intelligence, houses will be able to respond to residents' primary needs through sensors, improving their daily lives and monitoring their health.

Green spaces will also play an important role, with native and hydroponic vegetation characterising a large part of the urban fabric. This is, in short, a forward-looking project, yet one that grows out of a path of technological advancement tied to the 53 years of activity at the production site. As Tmej president Kazuhiro Miyauchi recalled, "the knowledge and expertise we have gained thanks to all the people who have done their work at this plant will be the foundation for developing this new chapter. I will offer my fullest collaboration going forward, in the conviction that Woven City will not rise on mere ground but on a place that has made the history of this plant."