Exploring Panasonic's Fujisawa smart city

Located in Fujisawa City, just outside Tokyo, Panasonic's Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (STT) is the result of repurposing old land owned by the firm and reinvented as a template of how future sustainable smart cities could operate. Opened in early 2014 with the sale of 220 homes, STT now caters for roughly 3,000 residents across 1,000 households. There are five pillars which form the basis of STT: community, mobility, energy, security and healthcare, however, the town only welcomed its first residents last year and so some buildings and facilities are still under construction.

Panasonic says that after studying 50 smart cities worldwide, the company created the STT model to be service-orientated and not only promote a more sustainable lifestyle, but also to boost commercialization through business partnerships in running the town.

The average price of a property in Fujisawa STT is $500,000. While not especially large -- especially by US standards -- the price is approximately 15 - 20 percent higher than local areas, but less expensive than Tokyo, well-known for high living costs. Homes are complete with energy monitoring and energy saving devices, and would-be residents must sign up for and agree to uphold the town's "principles," according to Panasonic.

A town development policy was jointly created between the tech giant and Fujisawa City government before 19 business partners were brought alongside including developers, energy firms and security companies. Residents are expected to pay approximately $100 a month on top of property purchase to live in the town and make use of services provided, which include bike and electric vehicle (EV) sharing, events and security monitoring. There is a also an online portal, compatible with mobile devices, which displays town events, notices and alerts, as well as a forum and committee for residents to communicate.

Surveillance cameras act as a "virtual gate" at the entry points of the well-lit STT, working alongside human patrollers and residents. Eventually, there are plans to install additional cameras across walkways and within areas such as the playground -- giving parents the opportunity to tap into camera feeds and check up on their children, and the commercial operations in place the ability to make sure their businesses are in tact. Some may consider such coverage intrusive, but residents agree to Panasonic's translation of the "security" principle if they choose to purchase a home in the town.

In the case of natural disasters such as Japan's disastrous 2011 earthquake and resultant meltdown of nuclear reactors, the smart town is able to sustain itself for three days, which is the average time for full power supplies to return in these scenarios due to its solar energy collection. In addition, storage battery resources may be shared with neighbors outside the town if they are in need.

It's an interesting concept, but the likelihood of countrywide rollouts is slim -- despite Panasonic's plans to expand to new locations in the future. The original investment levels must be staggering and only enterprise players have the capital and resources to secure partners and pull this off -- especially as Panasonic does not believe the town will have fully evolved until 100 years pass. STT is still within the 10-year construction phase, and additional houses, health, education and condominiums are planned for construction by 2018.

The town is an insight into how some areas could make better use of energy and sustain themselves through renewable energy, but the model will not be suitable for large areas -- unless you grow from the ground up.This does not mean the experiment isn't worthwhile, however, as STT could give governments, companies and the general public ideas concerning how to improve and smarten up their own lifestyles.

Disclaimer: The trip to Fujisawa STT was sponsored by Panasonic.