Project Overview
Opening / operator / target area / background from citizen-led social experiments
Social Experiment Start
2015
URBAN PICNIC
Park-PFI Selection
2019
8-year cycle
Opening
Apr 2023
main Sannomiya redev. project
Higashi Yuenchi is an urban park in the Sannomiya area of Chuo Ward, Kobe. Originally a static park with memorial monuments, starting in 2015, the citizen-led social experiment "URBAN PICNIC" was developed, accumulating experiments in urban park usage through programs such as lawn plaza picnics, cafés, outdoor libraries, and Saturday morning farmers markets.
In 2019, Kobe City applied Park-PFI (Public Offering Management System) and selected an operator through public offering. A 3-party consortium of Murakami Kohmuten + Teehouse Architecture Design Office + Livable City Initiative, which had operated URBAN PICNIC, was selected for the "Higashi Yuenchi Vibrancy Creation Facility Operations Project." In April 2023, as one of the main projects of Sannomiya redevelopment, the northern area was redeveloped with large and small lawn plazas + viewing plaza + café, opening as a vibrant park.
8-Year Social Experiment Cycle
Phased development from URBAN PICNIC start in 2015 to Park-PFI opening in 2023
Higashi Yuenchi's distinctive feature is that Park-PFI was institutionalized through an 8-year social experiment cycle. In 2015, citizen groups led a lawn conversion social experiment, developing cafés and outdoor libraries under the URBAN PICNIC name on a limited-time basis. Farmers markets were regularly held Saturday mornings, and over 4-5 years, accumulated data on park usage was collected.
In 2020, spring and autumn social experiments were conducted, exploring year-round program development and new park management possibilities. At this stage, the challenge of balancing citizen-operation continuity with revenue generation became clear, and Park-PFI implementation was selected as institutionalizing continuous operation by a private operator. Accumulated social experiment data was reflected in the Park-PFI public offering guidelines, influencing lawn plaza size, café placement, and viewing plaza design.
Occupational Composition of 3-Party Consortium
Role division among Murakami Kohmuten, Teehouse Architecture Design Office, and Livable City Initiative
Notably in Higashi Yuenchi's business scheme is the occupational composition of the 3-party consortium. It contrasts with the model led by major real estate developers (Mitsui, Mitsubishi, etc.), combining local capital + specialized technology + urban planning spirit.
| Member Company | Field | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Murakami Kohmuten | Local construction (Kobe-based) | Finance + implementation |
| Teehouse Architecture Design Office | Architecture design specialist | Spatial design |
| Livable City Initiative | Urban planning | Inheriting social experiment spirit |
The business scheme without major developers accepts capital constraints in exchange for continuity of regional operation spirit and business realization of accumulated social experiments. Kobe City's decision prioritizes continuation of citizen operation over commercialization of the urban park.
Integrated Design with Sannomiya Redevelopment
Positioning as a main project of Kobe's urban core redevelopment
Higashi Yuenchi's Park-PFI is positioned as one of the main projects of Kobe's Sannomiya redevelopment. Sannomiya redevelopment is a large-scale project aiming to revitalize Kobe's urban core, advancing integrated design of station-front plaza, commercial facilities, park, and pedestrian flow.
The redevelopment of Higashi Yuenchi proceeds as part of this overall design, integrating the traffic flow design of the station-front commercial district with the park. Rather than isolated optimization of the park, it is embedded within upper-level design aiming for circulation enhancement + quality improvement of urban experience across the urban core.
Implications for Other Municipalities
Difference between direct Park-PFI implementation and business design going through social experiments
Three points must be considered by municipalities referencing Higashi Yuenchi.
First, business design transitioning from social experiments to Park-PFI requires a long cycle of 8 years. It cannot be selected when urban park private utilization must proceed quickly. However, when urban park usage remains undetermined, the social experiment cycle serves as an effective method for enhancing spatial design accuracy.
Second, the process of reflecting accumulated social experiment data in Park-PFI public offering guidelines determines the quality of institutionalization. Separating social experiments from Park-PFI institutionalization loses accumulation, while an integrated process maintains citizen operation spirit after institutionalization.
Third, a 3-party consortium without major developers bears the risk of capital constraints pressuring business viability but is effective for continuation of regional operation spirit.
Park-PFI Complete Guide
Comprehensive explanation of the system, procedures, and cases
Hisaya-odori Park Independent-Accounting Park-PFI
The business scheme of Japan's largest-class Park-PFI
Park-PFI Case Collection
Nationwide Park-PFI cases organized by type
What to do next
When using a case to inform a project, check how its conditions differ from the target park.
| # | What to check or consider | Responsible team or contact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compare the case with the target park's area, location and users. Do not assess viability from population size alone | Published records and target park surveys |
| 2 | Obtain the case municipality's solicitation guidelines and selection results. Ask the responsible team for records not published online | Parks team in the case municipality |
| 3 | Compare the minimum fee in the guidelines with the fee in the selected proposal | Solicitation guidelines and selection results |
| 4 | Check existing building footprints and building coverage limits in the target park's local ordinance | Parks team |
| 5 | Present the target park's conditions and the case evidence, and ask operators about their interest and requirements | Market sounding |
To apply a case to the target park, examine the solicitation terms and selected proposal. Identify which conditions are relevant, accounting for differences in area, location and users.
This coverage-ratio uplift is not 10 percentage points for rest facilities and another 10 for solicited park facilities: the two share a single 10%. In a park that has already reached 12% with rest or sports facilities, no new amenity facility can be added as a solicited park facility. Both that 10% and the ordinary 2% are figures the law asks local governments to take into account, and the ratio that applies is the one each local government sets in its own ordinance.
References
Park-PFI Implementation Status (as of 31 March 2026) — MLIT City Bureau (2026)
Park-PFI Case Collection — MLIT City Bureau (2026)
Guidelines on Using Park-PFI to Improve Urban Park Quality (May 2025 revision) — MLIT City Bureau (2025)
