So here we are, talking about circular cities.

Again.

And this time the conversation takes us to Osaka, host of the World Expo 2025, an event focused on the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives".

If you've ever sat in an urban planning meeting with a lot of diagrams and zero people, you'll know what I mean when I say:

We are excellent at planning systems.

But terrible at planning for souls.

And as we gear up to discuss the future of urban life, mobility, sustainability, regeneration, resilience, I'd like to throw one more R-word into the mix: relationships.

Because here's the thing:

You can design the perfect loop for waste management.

But if nobody feels welcome in that loop, what's the point?

Let's talk about it.

Japan: The High-Tech Mirror We All Secretly Need

Japan is a fascinating paradox.

It's one of the most advanced, efficient, and beautifully designed societies in the world, and also one of the loneliest.

Which makes it the perfect host for a conversation about the future.

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Let me explain why.

Japan has already started doing what many other countries haven't dared:

Naming loneliness as a systemic issue.

And more importantly: doing something about it.

So What's Actually Happening?

Glad you asked.

Here's a lightning round of surprisingly progressive (and genuinely moving) efforts Japan is making:

They passed a law.

As of last year, Japan formally treats loneliness and isolation as national challenges, not individual failings.

That's lightyears ahead of most places still telling people to "just go out more."

They launched a 24/7 support line.

Because not everyone needs a therapist, some people need not to feel invisible at 2:17 a.m.

They created "Tsunagari Supporters."

Ordinary citizens who are trained to notice and gently reach out to people who may be isolated. Soft connection. No forced hugs.

They're designing real spaces for belonging.

Not "activation zones" with pop-up ping pong tables, but actual community rooms, children's cafés, public meeting spots, and local places where people can just… be. No performance required.

They've even built a portal.

A national online guide to over 150 programs supporting mental health, belonging, and inclusion.

More helpful than that one-page PDF your city sends out once a year.

But What Does This Have to Do with Circular Cities?

Everything.

Because you can't talk about sustainability and ignore the humans who are supposed to sustain it.

Circularity isn't just about materials looping back into use.

It's also about people looping back into life.

Let me put it this way:

A solar-powered, self-watering urban greenhouse is great.

But if no one talks to their neighbour, it's still a dead zone.

If We're Serious About Future Cities…

Then we have to stop pretending that function equals flourish.

We have to build cities that are more than efficient.

They have to be emotionally intelligent.

So what would that look like?

Let's borrow a few ideas from Japan, and like a DJ remix them into the urban planning world:

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Design third spaces where people don't have to buy anything to feel like they belong.

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Create belonging indicators in new developments.

How many benches face each other? How many open kitchens?

How many ways in for someone feeling left out?

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Make emotional safety part of every masterplan.

Not just "safe routes" and "lighting," but actual cultural and spatial signals that say:

You're welcome here.

You're not alone.

You don't have to earn your place.

Fund public rituals, even awkward ones.

The goal isn't perfection.

The goal is presence.

A Note to My Fellow Planners, Strategists, and Dreamers

We are entering an era where the buzzwords are plentiful.

Regenerative!

Circular!

15-minute!

But the human contact is running low.

Let's not forget who cities are for.

Not the algorithm.

Not the KPI.

Not the rendering.

People.

People who want to feel chosen. Included. Seen.

People who want to belong not just on paper, but in the rhythm of everyday life.

Let's Wrap This Up

As Osaka prepares to showcase the best of what's next, let's not forget what's already slipping away:

Us!

Let's use this moment not just to upgrade systems.

Let's upgrade our social wiring.

Let's design future cities where belonging isn't a luxury.

It's part of the blueprint.

Because if we don't plan for belonging now…

We'll keep building empty circles, beautiful, circular, sustainable…

And silently, completely alone.

Lots of love,

Stina

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