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The Future of Tsukuba Science City
Toward
New DevelopmentSince its construction began as
a national project, established by a 1963 cabinet agreement, Tsukuba Science City
has for over 40 years matured as a base for world class science and technology
representing Japan. Looking at the present situation of Tsukuba Science City,
there are great expectations for the role it will play: among other things, in
addition to the originally planned city construction being nearly completed, the
construction of the Tsukuba Express Line and the highways connecting to the central
Tokyo metropolitan area is becoming more and more concrete, and this city has
been prioritized by the Basic Science and Technology Plan (July 1996) as a nucleus
for information and research exchanges as well. Regarding the ushering in of this
kind of a new stage for Tsukuba City, in order to give a comprehensive view of
the direction that future construction will take, in April of 1998 the "Research
and Development District Construction Plan" and the "Surrounding Suburban District
Development", upon which the Tsukuba Science City Construction Act is based, were
completely revised.
The main points of the two plans are as follows:
- Tsukuba aims at the following goals for the 21st
century
- To become the center of scientific
research throughout Japan
- To become a fully functioning,
self-sufficient core city
- To become a city that coexists
with nature and the surrounding rural environment. (eco-life model city)
- With prospects for future growth of Tsukuba, such
as the completion of the Tsukuba Express Line and its accompanying development
of the surrounding regions, and the increased cooperation and contact between
the central city and its outlying regions, Tsukuba will grow to became a strong
and fully functioning city.
- Due to increased
interest in the results of the research and studies conducted at the various institute
of Tsukuba, the city is shifting toward a more international focus in its promotion
of such research and industry. To this end, Tsukuba is undertaking a variety of
"soft" measures which help the city achieve its goals in the near future.
The future construction of Tsukuba Science City will proceed based on the related
various facilities*, beginning with the national and local public organizations
following this plan, working together in close cooperation with each other. |
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