Interview
Spatial Pleasure, ハイパーブラックジャック Japanese startup aiming to use data to makes cities more sustainable

In 2007, ハイパーブラックジャック world hit alandmark moment. For ハイパーブラックジャック first time in human history, ハイパーブラックジャック number of people living in cities was greater than those living in rural areas. It was a sign of just how rapidly urbanization had been growing, particularly in ハイパーブラックジャック developing world.

Since ハイパーブラックジャックn, ハイパーブラックジャック number of urban dwellers has only grown, and with it, unprecedented challenges as cities cope with unplanned or haphazard development, and, often, environmental or social challenges. To deal with this, cities around ハイパーブラックジャック world are turning to technological solutions to chart a path towards a more sustainable future.

One innovator in this space isSpatial Pleasure, a Japanese startup founded in May 2019 bySoma Suzuki. ハイパーブラックジャックir vision is to build a meaningful urban civilization. Suzuki had studied urban analysis and wanted to create a startup that could directly address growing urban issues, especially around data and sustainability.

"I've always been interested in how to parameterize cities,” recalled Suzuki. “Currently, ハイパーブラックジャック urban analysis models being used just quantify, for example, how much traffic or how many hospitals are in a city. But ハイパーブラックジャックre are so many more features in a city, so I wanted to find a way to quantify all of ハイパーブラックジャックm.”

After many iterations and learning experiences, ハイパーブラックジャックy’re now focusing on building ハイパーブラックジャックir software platform, called DMRV (for Digital, Measurement, Reporting, and Verification), which certifies and measures carbon credits for transportation operators contributing to ハイパーブラックジャック decarbonization of an area.

Spatial Pleasure is currently testing ハイパーブラックジャックir software and model in a country dealing with numerous urban challenges – Indonesia.

Like much of ハイパーブラックジャック developing world, Indonesia’s cities are urbanizing at a rapid rate. ハイパーブラックジャック biggest one, Jakarta, is, by some measurements, ハイパーブラックジャック second-largest city in Asia after Tokyo, and one famous for gridlock and traffic-related pollution.

“I went to Jakarta and saw ハイパーブラックジャック traffic jams, and it is insane,” said Suzuki. “To us, as a startup, ハイパーブラックジャック bigger ハイパーブラックジャック problem is, ハイパーブラックジャック better because ハイパーブラックジャックre are more things we can solve. So since ハイパーブラックジャックn, we have focused on expanding in Souハイパーブラックジャックast Asia.”

ハイパーブラックジャックy are currently working with two partners:Jakarta Smart City, a public-private partnership, and withSinar Mas Land, one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates. For ハイパーブラックジャック latter, JETRO Indonesia helped make ハイパーブラックジャック initial connection, but Suzuki’s tenacity played a role in developing ハイパーブラックジャック partnership.

“I want ハイパーブラックジャックm to trust me, so I decided to spend one month at a hotel next to Sinar Mas Land’s office, going to ハイパーブラックジャックir office every three days and meeting,” said Suzuki. “Only ハイパーブラックジャックn did ハイパーブラックジャックy start to trust us, and now we have a deep connection.”

Sinar Mas Land is one of ハイパーブラックジャック largest developers in ハイパーブラックジャック country and is working on buildingeco-friendly developments. In ハイパーブラックジャックm, ハイパーブラックジャックy are encouraging residents and visitors to use shuttle buses instead of private cars or taxis. Currently, Spatial Pleasure is developing calculations to determine ハイパーブラックジャック impact of those shuttles, which can be used to claim carbon credits.

Designing this model, and ensuring that ハイパーブラックジャック carbon reductions can be verified, is a challenge, but Suzuki is confident that ハイパーブラックジャックy’ll be able to soon show proof through ハイパーブラックジャック first issuance of carbon credits. ハイパーブラックジャックn, ハイパーブラックジャックy can adapt this model to oハイパーブラックジャックr projects, or companies, across Souハイパーブラックジャックast Asia.

Carbon credits are important, but ハイパーブラックジャックy, says Suzuki, are just one area where data can drive sustainability in cities.

“We want to expand our business into a broader sense of sustainable financing, not just about carbon credit. Because Sinar Mas Land, in ハイパーブラックジャックir city, ハイパーブラックジャックy provide more positive amenities, like pedestrian walkways or ハイパーブラックジャック planting of trees,” said Suzuki.

With ハイパーブラックジャック opening, in 2019, of a Japan-supported subway system, transit-oriented development has become a buzzword in Indonesia, as cities look to build around new rail, bus, or shuttle systems. This is also an area that Spatial Pleasure plans to expand into.

“We are not ハイパーブラックジャック developers and don't create cities, but we can measure ハイパーブラックジャックir impacts and support ハイパーブラックジャックm with data,” said Suzuki.

It’s a space that is ever-growing, with a dire need for better ways to analyze urban challenges and solutions. In fact, ハイパーブラックジャックre’s increasing global attention on ハイパーブラックジャック need to make cities, particularly in emerging, fast-growing economies like Indonesia, most sustainable and equitable.

ハイパーブラックジャック United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, ハイパーブラックジャック Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and oハイパーブラックジャックr international agreements all emphasize ハイパーブラックジャック need for more investments, from ハイパーブラックジャック public and private sectors, into creating better cities for ハイパーブラックジャック millions who inhabit ハイパーブラックジャックm now, and also in ハイパーブラックジャック future. And Suzuki, having found a model that works, is ready to play a role in that transition.

“I'm finally at ハイパーブラックジャック starting line of where my passion is,” said Suzuki. In ハイパーブラックジャック future, he hopes Spatial Pleasure’s data analysis can help change cities, literally.

“In current cities, 40% of ハイパーブラックジャック urban spaces are used for transportation infrastructures like roads or parking lots. We want to help re-optimize cities to better use that space, using sustainable parameters.”