Cities Japan’s mixed-generation living experiment finds success; Lucerne’s train station goes underground; a Tel Aviv-based start-up helps US city leaders hear what residents are saying. Protect your elders Japan — housing While the consequences of ageing populations are felt in many parts of the world, Japan has particularly struggled. But the country has also pioneered some creative solutions. Kozoji New Town in the city of Kasugai offers a brilliant example. Like many similar developments across the country, Kozoji New Town was built by Japan Housing Corporation in the 1960s at the dawn of Japan’s economic boom. The 710-hectare plot of land was designed as a smart urban project with houses, danchi (social-housing blocks), shopping centres and sports facilities, to accommodate about 80,000 residents. Fast-forward to 2014 and the development’s population had decreased. And those remaining had aged: 28 per cent of those still in the danchi and houses were over the age of 65, with many feeling isolated and lonely. The solution? “Building a mixed community,” says Tomohiko Itokawa, the danchi manager at Urban Renaissance Agency (formerly Japan Housing Corporation). It joined forces with Kasugai City and by chance the nearby Chubu University was also exploring ways to connect its students with the community. “So, we decided to collaborate by accommodating students in our danchi.” Today, students who live in the danchi contribute to the community by participating in disaster drills and street clean-ups with the elderly residents. The students receive a 20-per-cent discount on their rent and the feedback from seniors has been uplifting. “Interacting with younger people has made them more positive and outgoing,” says Itokawa. “Also, annual events like summer festivals tend to be discontinued in a community with no vitality but here students participate too.” It goes to show how cross-generational co-operation can make a big