Panasonic Unveils Conceptual Plan for Suita SST which Optimizesthe Individual Experience in a Constantly Evolving Multi-generationSmart Town

Osaka, Japan — Panasonic Corporation has joined 13 companies in drawing up plans for a new urban development project called Suita Sustainable Smart Town （Suita SST）, engaging in advanced town planning to help resolve issues faced by today's society.

Based on the "Suitable Town for Fine Tomorrows" concept, companies from different industries will cooperate to develop multidisciplinary initiatives while also working to create new services utilizing town data. Moreover, Suita City, with whom Panasonic as well as other companies will be collaborating, hopes to take advantage of the Suita SST momentum to further promote its initiatives in developing towns that are ecologically advanced, towns with a focus on health and medical services mainly in the Northern Osaka Health and Biomedical Innovation Town （Kento）^*1 being developed nearby among others to improve the value of the entire Suita City area.

Suita SST, to be built on a former Panasonic factory site, is Panasonic's third Sustainable Smart Town project, but the first such urban development in the Kansai region. The land area of 2.3 hectares will be home to a new town where multi-generations can live, gather, and interact. The town will comprise of condominiums for families, seniors, a residential complex for singles, a wellness complex （with serviced housing for the elderly and a group home for the elderly with dementia; at-home care facilities; and a tutoring school and a licensed childcare center）, a commercial complex and a community park.

With regards to energy, steps will be taken for collectively receiving electricity for use by the whole area, as well as the application of after-FIT electricity and non–fossil fuel energy certificates, in an effort to substantially cover the town's total electricity consumption through renewable energy sources and become Japan's first "100% Renewable Energy Town."^*2 In addition, efforts will be made to improve the town's energy resilience through the use of EV storage batteries and advanced gas equipment in residential facilities. On security, the plan involves the creation of a town security model for a safe, secure, and hospitable environment through progressive implementation of robotics and facial recognition technology as well as the establishment of a town security center. On the wellness front, educational, medical and social welfare services will be provided to support all generations from children to the elderly, and using human activity sensors we hope to make early detection, prevention, and mitigation of dementia possible. There are also plans for the creation of an architecture code to support healthy town planning and the creation of spaces to that end. With regards to community, cross-generation interaction will be promoted through the provision of shared town facilities and the establishment of spaces including a park built to combat urban heat island effects.

Also under consideration, is the establishment of a town management organization, which would be tasked with creating a sense of community.

Furthermore, Panasonic will create the "Suitable Town Platform" through cross-industry cooperation to provide ideal town services at the optimal time based on each individual resident's lifestyles.

Town planning for Suita SST will also include initiatives linked to the improvement of the value of the region through reciprocal links with Northern Osaka Health and Biomedical Innovation Town, being developed nearby. The project also aims to contribute to resolution of societal issues faced by Japan – a super aging society achievement of the SDGs, and realization of Society 5.0.

• *1 URL for the Northern Osaka Health and Biomedical Innovation Town being developed in Suita and Settsu City:https://kento.osaka.jp
• *2 The town's total electricity consumption will be covered with 100% renewable energy supplied by participating enterprise Kansai Electric Power Company, including through after-FIT electricity from subscribers to Panasonic's service for the purchase of solar power （Solar Premium） and renewable energy sources of Kansai Electric Power Company, as well as the use of non–fossil fuel energy certificates proving origin of electricity as renewable energy sources. The plan for uninterrupted coverage of the town's total energy consumption with 100% renewable sources is expected to be realized within five years of the town opening. As at September 17, 2019, this is the first such undertaking in Japan covering an entire town including commercial and residential facilities （research by Kansai Electric Power Company）.

[Town Concept]

[Outline of Planned Facilities]

A multi-generation smart town that caters to young adults, families, and senior citizens. In addition to a total of 365 condominiums, multi-generation residential facilities will have a wellness complex, a commercial complex, and a community park.
（Image of the entire town. The town is still under planning and plans are subject to change.）

[Location] Kishibe 5-chome, Suita City Land area: 23,465.80 m²
[Schedule] Construction to commence in 2020; town opening planned for spring 2022.
[Facilities] Developer:Panasonic Homes Co., Ltd.; JR West Real Estate & Development Company

• - Family apartment for sale:100 units, 8 floors, land area:approx. 3,920 m²
• - Senior apartments for sale:126 units, 8 floors, land area:approx. 3,780 m²
• - Share housing for single-person households:73 units, 6 floors, land area:approx. 800 m²
• - Wellness complex:7 stories, land area:approx. 2,144 m²
  Serviced housing for the elderly:66 units, a group home for the elderly with dementia, at-home care facilities, a tutoring school, and a licensed childcare center
• - Commercial complex:4 stories （shops will be on the first and second floors）, land area:approx. 9,160 m²
• - Community park:approx. 1,400 m²

[Participating Enterprises and Roles]（14 companies and Suita City）

<Panasonic Corporation>

• - Drawing plans for urban development and project management for implementation
• - Improvement of overall town value through advanced technologies and cooperation with partner enterprises
• - Construction of town joint development platform to realize town concept

<Panasonic Homes Co., Ltd.>

• - Promotion of development of complex for combined residential and commercial facilities
• - Space design to realize town planning concept and creation of organization for town management

<Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.>

• - Creation of new gas usage model to improve town's energy resilience
• - Creation of new energy service model for the use of household fuel cell co-generation system, ENE-FARM in rental properties

<Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.>

• - Creation of model to realize plan to become Japan's first "100% Renewable Energy Town"
• - Creation of an energy system to improve town's energy resilience

<Gakken Cocofump Corporation>

• - Construction and operation of town's wellness complex and provision of care services, including for surrounding region
• - Creation of a model for town revitalization based on amalgamated services for education and medical and social welfare developed by Gakken Group
• - Engaging in initiatives for the mitigation, prevention, and early detection of dementia using human activity sensors in collaboration with Panasonic

<Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.>

• - Promotion of town's heat island prevention measures through the use of underused resources such as rainwater
• - Cooperation in design of park aimed at improving residents' health

<Sohgo Security Services Co., Ltd. （ALSOK）>

• - Construction and provision of state-of-the-art security services using AI, robotics and other technologies
• - Construction and operation of a town security center for crime prevention and to create a more hospitable environment

<Takenaka Corporation>

• - Establishment of an architecture code to support healthy town development and provide advice on the creation of spaces based on that code
• - Total planning support for town's energy resilience improvement

<Nakagin Integration Inc.>

• - Operation of seniors' condominium set to open in the town

<Hankyu Oasis Co., Ltd.>

• - Construction, operation and service provision of a supermarket to support lifestyles of balanced diets and healthy eating

<Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation>

• - Working together with NTT West and NTT West's group companies to create solutions that utilize state-of-the-art network technologies, such as 5G, to make the town a pleasant place to live.
• - Creation of infrastructure for various services adopting Panasonic's technology for authentication by facial recognition

<West Japan Railway Company; JR West Real Estate & Development Company>

• - Developing complexes that have both residential and commercial facilities.
• - Creating towns that enrich people's lives as part of development efforts along the JR Kyoto line.
• - Cooperation with railway division

<Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. Limited>

• - Development and provision of a diverse range of financial services to ensure worry-free living in an age of longevity, the 100-year life.

<Suita City>

• - Coordination of city policy aimed at recommendation and cooperation for advanced urban development
• - Public and private sector cooperation for the Northern Osaka Health and Biomedical Innovation Town

[Key Initiatives]

• - Energy:A town with excellent energy resilience even during emergencies by maximizing the use of renewable energy

  

  • - Renewable Energy 100 Town, covering 100% of the town's energy consumption with renewable energy sources
  • - Measures for energy resilience including the use of solar power, EV, storage batteries and advanced gas equipment

• - Security:A town where residents and visitors alike feel safe at all times
  • - Construction of a town security center for crime prevention and to create a more hospitable environment
  • - Use of town cameras to enhance security （detection of suspicious persons or objects using high resolution cameras and image detection technology）

• - Wellness:A town where everyone can continue to live a healthy, enriched life
  • - Bringing vitality to the town through wellness services （education, child-rearing support, medical care and social services）
  • - Early diagnosis and prevention of dementia through the application of human activity sensor technology
  • - "Healthy town development code" aimed at creating a town that makes you healthy by living there

• - Community:A town where people from different generations can naturally interact and support one another
  • - Town management and community spaces to encourage cross-generational interaction
  • - Utilization of facial recognition authentication in various town services

• - Mobility:A town that provides convenient and safe mobility services optimal for each individual
  • * For future consideration, including partner search
    • - The use of state-of-the-art mobility services for the elderly
    • - Considering linking to stations and the use of advanced mobility technology

  [Suitable Town Platform]

  Suita SST will create a platform together with its partners. By understanding people's lifestyles from a wide range of touchpoints and providing partner services optimal for each individual, Suita SST will realize an updatable living catered to each resident.

  [Cooperation with Nearby Urban Planning Projects]

  We will further promote initiatives for improvement of the value of the region as a whole through reciprocal links with the Northern Osaka Health and Biomedical Innovation Town being developed by Suita City nearby.

  About Panasonic

  Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B businesses. The company, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2018, has expanded globally and now operates 582 subsidiaries and 87 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 8.003 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2019. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic:https://www.panasonic.com/global.