Toyota's Futuristic Woven City In Japan Is Ready For Its First Residents

Toyota's Woven City, a $10 billion 'living laboratory' on the site of a former car factory, is set to welcome its first 100 residents in fall 2025. The first residents will be Toyota employees and affiliates, but the city aims to expand to include 'external inventors and their families.' The Verge reports: Toyota said it completed 'phase 1' of the construction, with the official launch planned for 2025. 'Woven City is more than just a place to live, work, and play,' Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said during today's press conference at CES. 'Woven City is a place where people can invent and develop all kinds of new products and ideas. It's a living laboratory where the residents are willing participants, giving inventors the opportunity to freely test their ideas in a secure, real-life setting.' In fall 2025, Toyota said it will welcome the first 100 residents to Woven City, all of whom will be employees of Toyota or its subsidiary, Woven by Toyota. The community will gradually expand to include 'external inventors and their families' who will be invited to relocate to the new city. In total, the first phase of the city will eventually house 360 residents, Toyota says.

Toyota dubs these first residents 'Weavers,' adding that they are people who 'share a passion for the 'expansion of mobility' and a commitment to building a more flourishing society. Through their participation in co-creation activities, Weavers will contribute to realizing the full potential of Woven City.' That said, the first 'inventors' confirmed for Woven City are mostly in the food services business, including a vending machine company and a startup that wants to explore 'the potential value of coffee through futuristic cafe experiences.' Toyoda mentioned several other ideas during his press conference, including high-powered motorized wheelchairs for people with disabilities who want to experience the thrill of racing. He also pitched the idea of a personal drone that follows joggers for added security, and 'pet robots' for elderly people.

The Woven City site, which is located at the base of Mount Fuji, includes buildings that are designed by famed Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. The goal, through phase 2 and subsequent phases, is to build enough housing and facilities for up to 2,000 people to live year-around, with utilities powered by the company's hydrogen fuel cell technology. The site is private for now, though Toyota says it plans on inviting the general public to see it in 2026. The name 'Woven City' is a reference to weaving together three different types of streets or pathways, each for a specific type of user. One street would be for faster vehicles only. The second would be a mix of lower-speed personal mobility vehicles, like bikes and scooters, as well as pedestrians. And the third would be a park-like promenade for pedestrians only. Japan first announced the 'prototype city of the future' at CES 2020.

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