[News Terms] Future City, Toyota's 'Woven City'... "2,000 Residents Within 1 Year"

#In the sky, pilotless airplanes fly, and on the roads, driverless autonomous cars travel. Dedicated lanes for cars, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians are interconnected, eliminating concerns about traffic congestion, and the entire city's energy is operated using eco-friendly sources such as hydrogen fuel and solar power. Robots fold clothes instead of people, elderly residents take walks with AI companion dogs, and late at night, drones monitor the way home, ensuring safe returns.

Yonhap News

Previously, such cityscapes were considered imaginary scenes only seen in movies, but this is part of a future city that the Japanese automobile company Toyota is actually constructing.

'Woven City,' being built in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture at the foot of Mount Fuji, is designed as a "living laboratory" to demonstrate advanced technologies such as autonomous vehicles, robots, smart homes, and artificial intelligence (AI) in real-life environments. The name Woven reflects the meaning of "weaving fabric," symbolizing the city’s roads and infrastructure intricately connected like a network.

Toyota announced this vision at CES, the world's largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, in 2020, signaling a transformation toward future cities. Five years later, Akio Toyoda, chairman attending CES, stated, "We have completed phase one of the Woven City project. This fall, 100 Toyota employees will move into Woven City," marking the official launch of Woven City.

The $10 billion (14 trillion KRW) Woven City spans an area equivalent to 100 soccer fields (708,000㎡). Starting with the first 100 residents in phase one this year, a total of 360 residents are planned to move in. Inventors from various fields will reside there to develop innovative products and services, and in phase two, a total of 2,000 residents are expected. From next year onward, the general public will also be invited. Chairman Toyoda said, "Our goal is to build enough housing and facilities for up to 2,000 people to live year-round through phases two and beyond."

Toyota has invested in the Japanese rocket startup Interstellar Technologies (IST) and plans to support rocket production as well.

Chairman Toyoda said, "The future of mobility should not be limited to Earth or a single car company," adding, "We are also researching rockets." This has led to analyses suggesting that Toyota may expand into the space sector.