From Hakozaki’s redevelopment to a place to eat lunch without buying anything, KRT7 asked what residents should gain from a growing city.
What happens to people already living around a major redevelopment? At Kyushu Roundtable #7, Heloisa Flores asked what Hakozaki’s transformation might mean for affordable housing around the former Kyushu University campus. Could rents rise, and where would existing residents go?
Architect Kyoko Matsuoka raised another concern: she had opposed demolishing more of the old campus buildings, believing they could connect the area’s history with its future. The question about rents remained open.
Held at CIC Fukuoka on October 30, the Roundtable brought 46 people representing 17 nationalities together for an English-language discussion of Fukuoka’s Next Chapter. Guest commentators Kyoko, of Spinglass Architects, and Evan Kirby, founder of Genki Japanese and Culture School, joined host Nick Szasz of Fukuoka Now.
The November 15 mayoral election added urgency. After 16 years in office, Soichiro Takashima had decided not to seek a fifth term. Fukuoka faced its first mayoral race without an incumbent in 40 years. By the day of the Roundtable, 13 people were expected to stand, a postwar record. “So the field is wide open,” Evan said.
Evan connected City Hall decisions to changes residents could see, including reforms under Fukuoka’s National Strategic Special Zone designation affecting redevelopment and foreign entrepreneurs. What should the next mayor prioritize?
What makes a public space successful?
During the Kyushu News Scan, Kyoko offered a simple test for the new garden at Fukuoka City Museum: shade and somewhere to bring lunch. “So you don’t have to even buy food over there.”
That freedom mattered to her argument about public-private partnerships, or PPP: government and businesses working together on public facilities or services. PFI, or Private Finance Initiative, uses private finance and expertise to develop and operate public facilities. Meiji Park near Hakata Station illustrates another approach, Park-PFI, in which revenue from private businesses helps fund improvements to the public park.
Kyoko welcomed private expertise but wanted the city to provide a clearer vision, beyond leasing public land and collecting rent. “It’s like a landlord business,” she said. Government needed to set rules, connect individual developments and assess whether they served the wider public. Attractive parks and cultural facilities could still be “dots, still dots.” Her question was who would turn them into a coherent city.
Alice Balle emphasized results. “As soon as the project is well done and the results are there, I don’t really care if it’s private or public.”
Alan Michaels questioned concrete-heavy parks and wanted more green space and priority for bicycles. He described circling Fukuoka Civic Hall, itself developed through PFI, looking for bike parking.
What makes a growing city successful?
The prospect of Fukuoka becoming a second capital drew questions. David Tan wanted to hear the disadvantages. Steve Paton asked whether an actual process existed behind an idea discussed for years. Kyoko asked what the role required: emergency buildings, information infrastructure, or something else?
Paul Matsuda supported the idea, seeing opportunities for company headquarters, better-paid jobs and revenue for public services. David Cantrell offered another vision for growth through data centers and AI: could Fukuoka become a software hub helping modernize the rest of Japan?
Marcus Lau feared higher housing costs and sprawl. “This is the last bastion of affordability, so to say,” he said. His concern echoed Heloisa’s: where would people live if the city’s success priced them out?
Patryk Czemarnik linked housing demand to limited transportation access. A better-connected network could widen people’s choices about where to live. Franz Lambrecht proposed changes that need not wait for new rail lines: routes serving new residential areas, dedicated bus lanes and traffic lights that give approaching buses more green time.
Andini Radisya Pratiwi described an awkward arrival from Indonesia. Expecting an easy subway trip, she had declined a pickup, only to find herself hauling luggage onto the transfer bus from the international terminal to the subway at the domestic terminal.
Kyoko also questioned Fukuoka’s relationship with the rest of Kyushu, where she heard frustration about young people leaving for the city. “Fukuoka City has to act as a capital of Kyushu, not only absorbing people, but paying back to whole Kyushu area,” she said. “But how? This is my question.”
What makes an international city successful?
For Kristina Volchek, considering a move to Fukuoka, politics could affect her visa and the life she hoped to build. Those concerns went beyond a mayor’s authority but shaped how welcoming the city felt.
She also questioned the gap between carefully designed physical spaces and hard-to-find digital information. She had discovered the museum garden by chance. What else might newcomers miss?
Evan pointed to ways residents could make themselves heard at City Hall, including public comments on proposed policies. “But you can also just send your opinion directly to them in an email. I’ve done that a few times myself.”
Alice wanted to help children cross the road in her neighborhood. “I just don’t know where to do it and how to do it.”
Evan offered his own experience: “I went to the Kominkan when I moved to the place I live now and asked if there’s anything I can do to help.” The local community center became his route into neighborhood activities.
Andini had offered to teach English voluntarily at a nearby kindergarten, which accepted. Another participant had joined a monthly park cleanup after spotting a notice. There were ways in, but finding them often depended on taking that first step.
Kyoko recalled struggling to adapt to New York and Taipei. “I didn’t really understand the structure of the city or how to survive in those cities.” The audience’s experiences had reminded her of her own.
And much more was said
- “I’m not against data centers, but please do get involved with their design.” (Chris Ruckh)
- Paul Matsuda proposed bringing the G7 summit to Fukuoka in 2030 as a spur to development.
- Kyoko questioned Junglia’s lasting environmental cost: if it failed, removing the attraction would not quickly restore the landscape.
Bring an experience, challenge an assumption or ask a question: at Kyushu Roundtable, the audience helps shape the discussion.
The conversation continues
After the discussion, participants gathered for drinks and informal conversation.
Next: “Cycling and the City: Making Room for Everyone” on December 4
Kyushu Roundtable #8 will explore urban cycling on Friday, December 4, with guest commentators Taiga Koshiba, Head of Public Policy at Charichari, and Tim Muzik, avid cyclist and author of Fukuoka Now’s Fukuoka & Kyushu Cycling Routes & Reports.
A special bonenkai-style party will follow inside CIC, with no change of venue. Party details are coming soon. Apply to attend KRT8 and join us for the conversation and year-end gathering.
Text by Nick Szasz | Photos by Emiko Szasz