Toyota completes first phase of futuristic ‘living laboratory’ city
- Toyota has completed the first phase of its futuristic city
- Woven City, in Japan, will welcome its first residents this year
- The city is set to cost $10 billion
Published on Jan 08, 2025 at 1:11 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jan 08, 2025 at 9:53 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Toyota has successfully completed the first phase of its futuristic Woven City – described as a ‘living laboratory’ – on the site of a former car factory in Japan.
The newly-formed city is gearing up to welcome its first residents.
Speaking at the CES tech event this week, Toyota said 100 people will move into Woven City in the fall of this year.
The futuristic city is estimated to cost a staggering $10 billion.
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The futuristic Woven City will be a ‘living laboratory’
Toyota first announced plans for Woven City back in 2021 and since then has been quietly working away on getting it ready for its new residents.
At the time, the company said the city would be used as a bit of a testing ground for autonomous vehicles, robotics, smart home technology, and more.
In a press conference at CES, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda described it as a ‘living laboratory’.
“Woven City is more than just a place to live, work, and play,” Toyoda said.
“Woven City is a place where people can invent and develop all kinds of new products and ideas. It’s a living laboratory where the residents are willing participants, giving inventors the opportunity to freely test their ideas in a secure, real-life setting.”
Toyota is set to welcome the first residents later this year
It was also confirmed that Phase 1 of Woven City’s construction was now done and dusted as it gets ready to introduce its first residents to their new home later in 2025.
All of those set to move in are employees of Toyota or its subsidiary, Woven by Toyota, but there are plans further along the line to include ‘external inventors and their families’.
Those who are set to call Woven City their new home ‘share a passion for the “expansion of mobility” and a commitment to building a more flourishing society,’ Toyoda said.
“Through their participation in co-creation activities, Weavers will contribute to realizing the full potential of Woven City,” he added.
The Japanese-based company has said its first phase will eventually see 350 people relocate to the city, with an initial introduction of 100 new residents.
The city will be located at the base of Mount Fuji and will remain private to begin with before inviting the general public to take a look around next year.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
