Name: Jaymon Austria Addun

Course no.: ARCH 1363

Class code no.: 455

Asia is the largest continent in the world. So, a research project conducted by
Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by Siemens, called “The Asian Green City Index”,
seeks to measure and assess the environmental performances of 22 major Asian cities
across a range of the criteria. This report presents the key findings and highlights from the
Index, and is intended to provide stakeholders with a unique tool to help Asian cities learn
from each other, in order to better address the common environmental challenges they face.
The report is divided into five parts. First, it examines the overall key findings. Second, it
examines the key findings from the eight individual categories in the Index: energy and
carbon dioxide, land use and buildings, transport, waste, water, sanitation, air quality and
environmental governance. Third, the report presents a variety of leading best-practice ideas
from across the region. Fourth, it gives a detailed description of the methodology used to
create the Index. Finally, an in-depth profile for each city outlines its particular strengths,
weaknesses, and ongoing environmental initiatives. These profiles rightly constitute the bulk
of the report because the aim of the study is to share valuable experience.

I chose the city of Osaka in Japan because although it’s just a small city, it performed
well in the past years and according to the index. Osaka is Japan’s third largest city and an
economic powerhouse. It has a population of only 2.7 million. Osaka City occupies just 200
square kilometers, making it one of the most densely populated cities in the Index.
Population density (persons/km2) is 11,981.2. It is also the most prosperous city in the
Index. The city’s main environmental priorities include promoting waste reduction and
recycling, and closer collaboration between residents, businesses and the city government.

Osaka is ranked above average overall in the Index. It performs best in the transport
category, where it is the only city to rank well above average. The city benefits especially in
transport from having the second longest superior transport network in the Index (defined as
transport that moves large numbers of passengers quickly in dedicated lanes, such as
metro, bus rapid transit or trams) in relation to its administrative area. Osaka performs well in
other areas, too, ranking above average in the remaining seven environmental categories of
the Index. Its particular strengths include a robust waste collection and sanitation
infrastructure; and one of lowest levels of particulate matter in the Index. In addition, Osaka
performs well for environmental policies, including some of the strongest water sustainability
policies among the 22 cities. The city is not without environmental challenges, including
relatively high CO2 emissions per person, although officials are addressing the issue
through investments in renewable energy. Osaka is marked down for having one of the
lower amounts of green spaces in the Index, at 5 square meters per person. This is the
result of historical legacy, when planners paid little attention to green spaces during Osaka’s
development. Because of that the city currently has strong policies in place to protect the
green spaces that it does have, as well as good controls on urban sprawl and developing
environmentally sensitive areas. Osaka also has strong policies on the eco-efficiency for
new buildings, and it receives full marks for having incentives to motivate businesses and
households to lower their energy use. City’s incoming infrastructure should consider
adopting the green architecture, from pre-design through to construction, to have a more
green building; it can help not only in consuming energy but for a better environment.

Osaka flourished as one of Japan’s leading industrial cities from the Meiji period
onward and today has developed into an economic center for the Kansai region and greater
Japan. Maintaining an economic reach second only to Tokyo, Osaka has withstood the
collapse of Japan’s economic bubble and various demographic changes and continues to
offer economic activities in keeping with the times. Set against this backdrop are the
merchants and entrepreneurs whose free and easy attitude and enterprising spirit were
cultivated in Osaka and who were the first in the world to begin futures trading. Through
innovative ideas and creation of new products, they have brought a richness and abundance
to the lives of ordinary people. This entrepreneurial spirit still survives unchanged in the
corporations of modern-day Osaka and has given rise to a succession of numerous products
and services. Using advanced design and manufacturing technology, Osaka businesses
make everything from toothbrushes to rockets and manufacture not only parts and materials
but the finished product made from these as well. However, with slowing domestic market
growth due to Japan’s declining population, it is essential to ensure sustainable development
by incorporating the momentum of overseas markets beginning with the robust Asian
market. It is a city of high potential, with numerous businesses related to the environment,
energy, robot technologies, and health and medical services. Centered on industries with the
promise for expanding future markets and assisting related corporations in transmitting their
new products and innovations throughout the world, the city is advancing an infrastructure to
help create new businesses and the aggregation of domestic and international
corporations. Osaka is currently carrying out large-scale urban development projects in
multiple areas around the city. Moving forward, Osaka will continue its transformation into a
city offering sustainable growth and overflowing with new business opportunities and
innovation that will attract people, products, and investments from around the world.
 For the conclusion, Osaka, even it’s just a small city, it performed very well in the
past years. As shown the index, Osaka ranked in the overall result as above average
performing city in terms of the criterias presented in the index, seven categories above
average and one category well-above average. But that’s not only Osaka is known for, the
city is also known for its fun-loving people and a world class dining and drinking culture. The
people of Osaka are notorious for their obsession to eating and drinking. It proves that,
everything matters; even small things can make impact to the whole. The very important
thing is helping each other, helping to make one city not only to become better, but to
become great. People in one city are the ones who can make it all happen. Poor or rich,
child or adult, student or politician, no matter what you are, no matter who you are, you can
make a difference and you can make big impact to the city where you belong. Osaka, proves
that to us all.

References

 Asian Green City Index

 "Historical Overview, the City of Osaka official homepage". Archived from the
original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-21. Navigate to the equivalent
Japanese page (大阪市の歴史 タイムトリップ20,000年 [History of Osaka, A timetrip
back 20,000 years])[1] Archived 2009-02-26 at the Wayback Machine for additional
information.

 "HISTORICAL OVERVIEW - DISCOVER - OSAKA INFO -Osaka Visitors' Guide".

 "Osaka city". Osaka-info.jp. Archived from the original on 2010-03-06.
Retrieved 2010-05-05.
 http://www.city.osaka.jp/keikakuchousei/toukei/G000/Gyh19/Gb00/Gb00.htm
 "Osaka GDP" (PDF).
 “Osaka’s Future” (https://www.investosaka.jp/eng/chance/osaka_future.html)