Toyota’s Woven City: A Smart City of the Future

Woven City will act as a lab where the company can test new technology, from autonomous vehicles to smart homes.

Fact checked by Elizabeth MacLennan

Japanese car company Toyota isn’t just investing in a Silicon Valley-style campus like Google or Apple; it’s building an entirely branded smart city.

Project Overview

Toyota initially announced the project in 2020 and, according to Forbes, promised a “city of the future” on a former factory site near Mount Fuji in Japan. “Woven City,” as it’s been dubbed, will serve as both a conscious community and a lab for the carmaker to conduct market research on new technology, such as autonomous vehicles, smart homes, and AI.

The company broke ground on the 175-acre site in early 2021, according to Insider. The initial population is expected to be around 360 inventors, senior citizens, and families with young children, ultimately expanding to 2,000 residents in the coming years.

Design and Structure

“The Woven City project officially starts today,” the company’s president, Akio Toyoda, stated in a statement about the groundbreaking. The themes of Woven City include ‘human-centered,’ ‘a living laboratory,’ and ‘ever-evolving.’ Together with project partners, the aim is to create a future where people from diverse backgrounds can live happily.

The city will feature an organic grid pattern with three different pathways: one for self-driving vehicles, another for pedestrians using bikes or similar devices, and a third exclusively for pedestrians. An underground pathway will facilitate logistics for the city.

The city will only permit fully-autonomous, zero-emission vehicles, including Toyota’s battery-electric carriers known as “e-Palettes,” which will be tested for public transportation, deliveries, and mobile retail.

Sustainability and Technology

All buildings in Woven City will be constructed with sustainable materials and incorporate renewable energy solutions, including photovoltaic solar panels and hydrogen fuel cell technology to power the city, Insider reported.

According to Toyota, the city will include smart homes that assist occupants with in-home robotics and health monitoring through sensor-based AI, enhancing residents’ quality of life.

Future Implications

For further insights into this revolutionary smart city project, visit the Woven City website.