Going beyond DIG. Towards a Vibrant Shibuya Informed
by Human Centered Data.
About This Document
The enclosed report presents key findings and insights from an impact assessment of the 2025 DIG Shibuya festival. DIG Shibuya is an annual four-day festival celebrating art, technology, and innovation, held in key venues and public spaces across Shibuya ward. From February 8 - 11, 2025, Gehl andYomiko Advertising, together with Shibuya Ward, Shibuya Smart City Association, Shibuya Creative Tech Committee, faculty and students from Kokushikan University and Tokyo City University, conducted on-site data collection to evaluate the event’s impact on both people and place.
Project Team
Ayako Kobayashi Local Team Director
Masaaki Nakamura Local Project Manager
Yasuo Hiura Local Project Manager
Tomoharu Shimazaki Local Account Executive
Sophia Schuff Director
Leon Legeland Project Manager
Astrid Astrupgaard Project Manager
Candice Ji Urban Designer
Miriam Sode Alsteen Behavioral Scientist
Eva Lotta Juurma Apprentice
01 Introduction
What is DIG Shibuya?
DIG Shibuya is a four-day annual event led by the Shibuya Creative Tech Committee, set in the heart of Shibuya ward.
The first DIG Shibuya was held in 2024. It brings together artists from around the world to activate and inspire Tokyo’s creative-tech community. As part of the festival, there are public events and programs that transform the city’s streets and public spaces through art, technology, and innovation, inviting all visitors to participate. By hosting international art and tech events, the Committee is strengthening Shibuya’s creative-tech industry, elevating the presence of culture, and providing residents and visitors with accessible opportunities to engage with art and cutting-edge technology.
Shibuya pioneered bold, artistic, and innovative
DIG
Collaborating with local experts and universities to conduct the impact analysis.
A mixed-method approach was used to understand people’s experiences and perceptions during DIG Shibuya. The Gehl andYomiko team partnered with faculty members and students from Tokyo City University and Kokushikan University to collect data during the festival on February 9 - 10, 2025, and after the festival on February 16. The data and stories collected captures usage of public space, people’s perceptions of the event and ward, and citizen science impressions of art and technology during the event and during a typical, non-festive, day.
DIG Shibuya Impact Evaluation
Using human-centered data to inform events, activation, and planning in Shibuya.
Collecting human-centered data on events and cultural activations provides necessary insights into how people interact with urban spaces, and helps planners make informed decisions about future redevelopment strategies.
Conducting an impact assessment is more than collecting data on foot traffic and dwell time, it tells us about engagement levels, public sentiment, and how design elements encourage people to interact and engage with each other and their environments in new ways. This impact assessment of DIG Shibuya is a first attempt to understand what works, what needs improvement, and how art and creative-tech in Shibuya’s public spaces can serve different communities.
Human centered-data can also foster increased collaboration between local actors—public agencies, private developers, and cultural organizations—by providing a common ground for discussion and aligning interests toward a shared vision for vibrant, inclusive urban environments. This human-centric approach puts people at the heart of data collection to help us understand:
● Where public realm investments could be prioritised
● The challenges and potentials with existing conditions
● The impact of planning decisions
● The impact of programming
● Who spends time in public space
● How to communicate success to key actors
Public Life
Who engages with the events and activations and what type of activities and behaviors do they do in public spaces?
Impact
Assessment
Framework
Public Spaces
How do events and activations influence accessibility and quality of public spaces in Shibuya?
Public Perception
How do temporary events and activations shape perceptions of Shibuya?
Project Process
January 2025
Team workshop with all stakeholders
Data Collection Strategy
31st of Jan
9th - 10th of Feb.
On-site data collection
Walking Tourwith Shibuya ward 10th of Feb.
March 2025
Baseline data collection 16th of Feb. Findings
Public Life Survey
Public Life Survey
Intercept Surveys Eye-Level-City Postcards
Spatial Analysis
How to read this document
4 main chapter themes:
Each chapter has its own color. The color and layout of the slide indicates in which chapter you are reading.
Each chapter is divided into two sections: The first section addresses general themes in Shibuya ward, while the second section addresses DIG Shibuya Festival.
Content per theme:
Insights
Highlights the overall insight in the theme.
Findings
Expands on the insight with detailed findings from the analysis.
Recommendations
Best-Practice-Case
States high-level recommendations for the identified challenges. Presents relevant best-practice cases from around the world
Data source indicator:
The icon indicates which data source was used (see details in method chapter)
Public Life Survey
02 Methodology
Adopting a Mixed-Methods Approach
(See detailed description of methods in appendix)
Public Life App
44,520 people observed
Intercept Survey
Eye Level City Walk
Eye Level City 街散策調査
244 people interviewed
24 student walks with 288 photos
127 Postcards
Spatial Analysis 空間分析ツール
2 km mapped
Locations of data collection in Shibuya
Data was collected in the central Shibuya districts of Jinnan and Udagawacho, focusing on Koen Dori as the main location for the DIG Shibuya Festival. The map to the right shows the various locations for each method.
Public Life Surveys focused on areas with activations on the 9th and 10th, similar to the intercept surveys, except for Hachiko Square. The Postcard booth was set up on Koen Dori near the main concert stage on the 9th.
In this report, "Shibuya" refers to the area north of Shibuya Station in the Jinnan district, including Koen Dori, Penguin Dori, Kitaya Park, and Lil Park Avenue.
Location of data collection
Public Life Surveys Intercept Surveys PostcardBooth
Eye-Level-City
Spatial Analysis
Dougen-Zaka
Hachiko Square
Kitaya Park
Statistics
The stats on the right give a quick overview of total number of respondents per method. Further details about the individual methods can be found in the Appendix.
Public Life Surveys
February 9th, 10th, and 16th 2025
44,520 total observations.
15 movement counts of: 42,569
6 stationary counts of: 1,951
PostcardBooth
244 postcards written on February 9th.
Participants were anything from young children to adults.
Intercept Surveys
224 people surveyed.
Distribution
Eye-Level-City
Walks conducted on February 9th and 10th 2025
24 students from Kokushikan University and Tokyo City University.
Majority of students were women, and all were young adults between 18 and 25 years old.
UserPersonas
User personas are based on intercept survey user profiles and Eye Level City walk participants. They are an aggregated persona combining the most repeated traits of the different user groups.
Throughout the report, you will see the people icons next to quotes or data points to indicate the perspective from which it comes from.
*Please note that when a data point is solely representing the content from the interview, people who live and work in Shibuya are two distinct groups. However, they do have the same aggregate profile.
VISITOR (living in Tokyo but not Shibuya)
Age: Adult
Gender: Female
Why they come to Shibuya: DIG
Festival, shopping, going out
Primary sentiment: Shibuya is equally lively as it is overcrowded
TOURIST (from outside of Tokyo or another country)
Age: Adult
Gender: Male
Why they come to Shibuya: Tourist attractions, shopping, eating/drinking
Primary sentiment:Shibuya’s liveliness stands out. It is a little overcrowded but really interesting
STUDENT
LIVE / WORKIN SHIBUYA
Age: Adult
Gender: Male
Why they come to Shibuya: DIG
Festival, going to work, going out
Primary sentiment: Shibuya’s liveliness stands out. It is a little overcrowded but really interesting
Age:Young adult
Gender: Female
Why they come to Shibuya:To conduct engagement (Eye Level walks, interviews, observations)
Primary sentiment: Shibuya is welcoming and exciting
03
Findings and Recommendations
Staying in Shibuya
Moving Staying
● Shibuya has high pedestrian volumes comparable to the busiest places in the world.
● Despite this, road space is primarily allocated to cars, limiting ease of pedestrian mobility.
● The DIG Shibuya initiative opened streets for pedestrians and challenged this imbalance.
● Most pedestrians still preferred to walkon sidewalks, not fully utilizing the open space, due to cultural norms of public space usage.
● Shibuya has a lackof inviting public spaces, leading to the district acting as a thoroughfare rather than a place for lingering.
● There is a strong desire of visitors for high-quality public spaces where they can pause and socialize.
● DIG Shibuya created opportunities for people to stay, play, get inspired, and connect.
● However, future editions will benefit from a diversification and expansion of the program.
Experiencing
Collaborating
● Shibuya is known for fashion, culture, and entertainment but aims to also be recognized for art, tech, and innovation.
● DIG Shibuya was a key driver for people to visit the area and shaped people’s perceptions of the area as a welcoming place.
● However, since DIG Shibuya only happens once a year, the challenge is how to create more momentum and a lasting impact.
● DIG Shibuya fostered collaboration across different sectors and showcased a new mindset around the role of public space and artistic culture.
● However, cross-sectoral challenges made permitting for the public event and street closure difficult.
Moving in Shibuya
渋谷での移動の観測・観察より
Shibuya has iconic pedestrian volumes, on-par with the busiest places around the world…
象徴的な歩行者数を誇る渋谷、 世界有数の繁華街に肩を並べる。
but roads are prioritized for cars, leaving pedestrians without the space they need.
道路は自動車を優先し、 歩行者が必要とする空間は乏しい。
Shibuya has world-class pedestrian volumes.
Pedestrian count comparison across major streets
Shibuya rivals the highest volume places Gehl has observed around the world. Koen Dori sees pedestrian volumes like only a few other streets Gehl has counted, with almost 7.000 pedestrians per hour in the afternoon. Note that as part of this study there were no counts done after 3pm, so numbers could be even higher.
(2025)
Alexanderplatz, Berlin (2024)
Nanjing Rd, Shanghai (2014)
Strøget, Copenhagen (2020)
Walking across the
street is a spectacle, with intersections seen as iconic landmarks.
The crowds of people walking and crossing the streets in Shibuya has turned it into an icon and destination for Tokyo. The Scramble Crossing and Hachiko Square are symbols for the bustling and vibrant Shibuya. Tourists come to Shibuya just to see the Scramble Crossing and are amazed by the crowds and organized mess of people crossing the streets.
Crossing the street diagonally is an unusual feature for tourists and the crossing is now a destination and landmark.
The long wait for just a few cars and buses to pass highlights the imbalance in space distribution at
Crossing. Despite being one of the world's busiest pedestrian hubs, car accessibility and capacity still have priority.
Shibuya Crossing is part of the local identity and an icon, even featured in the drone show of DIG on the 9th of Feb.
Shibuya Scramble
Pedestrians are not given the space they need, and few cars occupy a disproportionate amount of space.
It’s clear that pedestrians aren’t given the space they truly need. Traffic counts along Koen Dori (see graph, top right) show that a small number of vehicles occupy a disproportionate amount of space—55% of the street is dedicated to just 5% of users (cars). Many of these vehicles include unnecessary trips, such as advertising trucks and tourist go-karts, further highlighting the imbalance.
Traffic counts along Koen Dori
Koen Dori’s busy sidewalks don’t account for the space pedestrians need to safely move and stay.
Koen Dori is almost entirely used by pedestrians with very few cars.
of the space is dedicated to cars
55% of the space on Koen Dori is used by very few people in vehicles.
Unnecessary car trip: Go-Karts and Ad-Trucks
Pedestrians often have to rely on cumbersome stairs, overpasses, and detours to reach their destinations.
A common traffic planning approach from the 1960s and 70s aimed to reduce pedestrian congestion by separating foot traffic from vehicles through overpasses. However, this solution often makes walking more cumbersome. Navigating the area requires numerous stairs, overpasses, and detours for pedestrians to reach their destination. Additionally, the layout isn’t intuitive—one needs to know their way around to move efficiently.
Crossing large roads requires detours and climbing stairs. The city is designed without people in mind and does not confront car-oriented traffic engineering and regulations.
Walking route from Mityashia Parkto Shibuya Stream requires several detours, long waiting times, and stairs: doubling the walking distance.
The waiting time at intersections surpasses the walking time. As a result, jaywalking has become a common practice.
Intersection wait times often exceed walking times, forcing many pedestrians to jaywalk or create their own shortcuts. Our counts show that waiting at crossings typically takes more than twice as long as walking. On Koen Dori, for example, people frequently create small desire paths or jaywalk to avoid long detours. At Shibuya Station, fencing blocks a natural route to Miyashita Park.
Location People create their own shortcuts along Koen Dori. These desire lines show where people want to cross.
Light signal time at major intersections prioritise cars with waiting times being more that three times higher.
The street design does not reflect the need of people to cross and get to key destinations.
Desire lines to Miyashita Parkare blocked by barriers
Sometimes, the street networkin Shibuya can be dangerous due to insufficient infrastructure to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
Accident data shows that the central area of Shibuya has had 751 accidents from 2019 to 2023. Accident hotspots with pedestrians and cyclists are along the major roads, in particular along Dougen Zaka (25) and Inokashira Dori (70) streets.
Accidents that included cyclists and/or pedestrians
Locations of accidents including cars, pedestrians and bikes between 2019 - 2023(Source).
Dougen Zaka
Inokashira Dori
Sidewalks on Koen Dori are overcrowded during most of the day.
Our global research on perceived overcrowding shows that sidewalks feel overcrowded at around 700 people per meter per hour. On Koen Dori, the movement counts in the afternoons exceed this threshold, highlighting the intense pedestrian congestion in the area.
*Crowding can be calculated as 780 people per meter of available space per hour. Source: City of Melbourne
Dashed line indicates the threshold of 780 people per meter per hour (overcrowded)
Koen Dori South
Koen Dori North
Penguin Dori
Kitaya park& ParkAvenue
Interviews show that while "lively" is the most common way people describe Shibuya, "crowded" and "overwhelming" are also frequently mentioned. This mix of vibrancy and congestion is something we experienced firsthand. A visitor at the DIG Shibuya festival told us they chose to take a longer route to avoid the overcrowding at Hachiko Square, reflecting how locals plan routes to navigate around the busiest spots.
The 50% difference suggests that people who live and workin Shibuya are less and vibrancy compareller gap 44% of respondents used the word “crowded”
The 50% difference suggests that people who live and workin Shibuya are less and vibrancy compareller gap 17% of respondents used the word “overwhelming”
Let’s take another route to walkto Shibuya Sky, it's too crowded at Hachiko Square… Visitor of DIG Shibuya, Age 30 - 35
How would you describe Shibuya?
Responses from the question “What 3 words would use to describe Shibuya?” in an intercept surveys conducted in Shibuya, February 2025 with a total of 244 respondents.
Visitors and tourists perceive Shibuya as feeling crowded, differing from other user groups.
Perceptions of Shibuya vary by user group. Residents and workers are accustomed to the crowds and don’t find it overwhelming, while visitors and tourists frequently describe it as "crowded"—as shown by the large red bubble in the graph. In the visualization, each color represents a different word used to describe Shibuya, with bubble size indicating how often each word was mentioned.
How would you describe Shibuya?
Responses from the question “What 3 words would use to describe Shibuya?” in an intercept surveys conducted in Shibuya, February 2025 with a total of 244 respondents.
Visitor
A district in transformation with the goal to be a “place forpeople”.
Shibuya’s central area is undergoing major transformation, with several densification and building projects underway. Additionally, the Oyama Kaido Street Renovation aims to redesign Miyamasuzaka and Dougenzaka streets to prioritize pedestrians. While street-level renderings show an ambition to improve the experience for people, the street design remains largely movement corridors with limited spaces for staying. There is a fundamental challenge with public space enhancements contained to rooftops rather than at street level.
Source: Shibuya ward. These renders were handed out to the Gehl team by the Shibuya Planning Department on a walkshop on the 10th of February.
Rather narrow crossing option
Wider sidewalks and even surface design
Barriers remain with few invitations to stay
More invitations to stay, greenery and wider sidewalks
New public spaces on rooftops
Street remains car-centric and too wide
How might we… transform Shibuya’s streets into people-first streets — inviting all visitors to feel welcome, wander comfortably, and get where they need to go without modal conflict?
Fifth Avenue Manhattan, NewYork
Improve conditions for pedestrians
Widen sidewalks
Widening sidewalks, alongside improving their quality through benches or greenery, creates more space for pedestrians and enhances overall comfort and safety. A sufficient width of the sidewalkshould not be compromised by other uses like outdoor seating or parking. Widening Shibuya’s sidewalks will help alleviate overcrowding and improve pedestrian flows. This requires a reduction of car lanes (parking and/or driving) or transforming streets into one-way-streets for cars.
Adding more pedestrian crossings will reduce waiting times and walking distances, making routes safer and more attractive. More crossings will also reduce friction in high-traffic areas and wide streets. This will improve pedestrian congestion in Shibuya, where crossing times are often very long and jaywalking is a common phenomena.
Improve conditions for pedestrians
Introduce pedestrian friendly light signals
Longer green phases, and in some cases, immediate activation upon pressing the button, will reduce wait times and enhance safety for pedestrians. This will significantly improve the pedestrian congestion in high-traffic areas. For intersections close to each other, a green wave for pedestrians—based on the average walking speed rather than car traffic speed—could be tested to further streamline pedestrian flow.
Introduce continuous sidewalks or full pedestrian zones
To further improve walkability, standardize sidewalks without steps or height differences at driveways or crossings. This will enhance accessibility and comfort for pedestrians, especially those with limited mobility, strollers, or wheelchairs. As a next step, introduce a standard approach to shared streets or fully pedestrianized zones with limited vehicle access.
Improve conditions for pedestrians
Integrate soft infrastructure for a better pedestrian experience
High pedestrian traffic and congestion doesn’t mean streets must only be paved, wide, and efficient for movement. A truly walkable and inviting city balances hardscape (wide sidewalks, crossings, and smooth surfaces) with soft infrastructure—elements that enhance comfort, well-being, and social interaction.
To enhance Shibuya’s qualities to be pedestrian-friendly, the focus should be increasing the street quality through paving, shade, seating, greenery, and human-scale design. Trees, temporary canopies, and soft ground cover can reduce heat stress, while benches and resting spots create inclusive spaces for all ages.
Activating street environments with public art, interactive elements, and flexible programming can encourage people to stay and engage rather than just pass through, or be used as a wayfinding system.
For future redevelopment, shift from "efficient pedestrian throughput" to "comfortable, enjoyable walkability". Streets can invite for lingering, socializing, efficient movement and play, making them not just corridors, but also vibrant public spaces.
See more recommendations in the “Staying” chapter.
Wide sidewalks and crossings
Activated and flexible spaces
Street Design Guidelines | Shanghai, China
From engineering oriented design to integrated planning
A collaboration with the City of Shanghai and the China Energy Foundation required Gehl to create the Shanghai Street Design Guidelines - the first such guideline in China that recognizes the street as a public space. The work has won a multitude of awards and inspired similar guidelines throughout China. The Guide promotes the street as a streetscape, that must be analysed and planned for across the city, district, block, neighborhood, street and individual human scales.
Context & Core Challenge
● The guidelines shift the concept of the street as a mobility corridor, to the street as a platform for public life, public health, cultural and social exchange, and the promotion of sustainable and liveable lifestyles.
● At the design level the guide breaks the principle of one size fits all infrastructure planning to include differential street type design options, space and time rationale, and the recognition of different traffic participants.
Street Design Guidelines Nanjing Road East
To enable customizable design the Guide promotes the street at human scale, to include block length, façade and ground floor activity profiling, walking and activity space, auxiliary function facility, and traffic facility considerations.
Nanjing Road East was one of the first street implementing the guidelines into the street’s redesign.
The upgrade of Nanjing Road East connects two of Shanghai's main destinations, the pedestrianised Nanjing Rd with the Bund through historic central Shanghai. In 2013, Gehl conducted an analysis of Huangpu district and the users of the street was already 95 % pedestrians. In 2021 the new design was implemented.
Before: A street designed for cars but where pedestrians are the main mode, with 95% pedestrian users observed.
After: A street transformation completed in 2021
Vision made by Gehl From 2013
Vester Voldgade, Copenhagen
Understanding streets as public space
● Widen of sidewalks and upgrade of materials
● Added a bike lane and a wide promenade on the sunny side of the street
● Reduced traffic lanes from three to one in some sections and converted parts of the street from two-way to one-way
● Adding greenery, seating, play elements
Vester Voldgade | Copenhagen, Denmark
Understanding streets as public space
Vester Voldgade was originally a narrow alley connecting the city to the waterfront. The street was expanded into a major thoroughfare running past the city’s City Hall Square. In the early 2010’s it was redeveloped as a green promenade as a part of Copenhagen’s Climate Adaptation Plan. The plan concentrated car traffic into two lanes instead of four, and widened the sidewalk on only one side of the street for ultimate sun exposure. The choice to widen one sidewalk broke from the typical planning regulations, and rather accommodated people’s wish to sit in the sun at the cafe.
Context & Core Challenge
● Widening of one sidewalk and upgrade of materials used along the sidewalk to ensure a people-first design
● Added a bike lane and a wide promenade on the sunny side of the street
● Reduced traffic lanes from three to one in some sections and converted parts of the street from two-way to one-way
● Adding greenery, shade, seating, play elements and signage for a children’s school slow zone
DIG Shibuya challenged the status quo by opening the streets for pedestrians…
DIG Shibuyaは、歩行者のために道路を開 放することで現状に挑戦しました …
yet the majority of people kept walking on the sidewalknot using the new provided space.
それにもかかわらず、大多数の人々は提供され た新しいスペースを使わずに歩道を歩き続けまし た。
By closing the street to vehicular traffic, DIG Shibuya created a safe and inviting place for people to enjoy.
By closing the street to motorized traffic and opening it up for pedestrians, DIG Shibuya created a safe, people-friendly environment. As a result, pedestrian traffic increased by 40% compared to the baseline data from February 2nd according to the flow analysis report from GEOTRAKDDI, which used mobile phone data.
4144 people/h
5802 people/h
40% more people detected during Koen Dori street closure compared to the baseline
Source: People Flow Analysis Report, GEOTRAKDDI Co. Ltd. February 2025
Koen Dori, 9th of February 2025, during the street closure.
Koen Dori, without the street closure.
Yet, design cues, including edge entrances and fences kept the pedestrians to the sidewalk.
However, when we were on-site, we observed that the majority of people still walked on the sidewalks. This was likely due to the limited openings, which made it difficult to access the center of the street.
With limited openings, people create informal paths through the landscape.
Fences signal to pedestrians to stickto the sidewalk
With road closure signage and officers stationed at the center, all visitors are directed to access the festival from the edges
The entrance felt underwhelming and intimidating. It felt like it was directing people toward the sidewalks rather than inviting them in.
The signage and unwelcoming entrance played a role in how people engaged with the event. The signs clearly directed people to use the sidewalks, making the center of the street feel less inviting, and the police presence can make people feel intimidated. As a result, people used the sidewalks rather than the center of the street.
Is
Could the entrance to DIG Festival feature a stronger gateway treatment?
this road closed to us too?
Pedestrian traffic decreased in the north and foot traffic from the south did not consistently extend to the northern end.
Movement
counts during
the
The movement counts showed that pedestrian traffic was highest on Koen Dori, with around 6,000 people per hour. However, as we moved north, the numbers dropped significantly, reaching only 2,400 people per hour. This indicates that the festival's impact didn’t fully extend to the northern part of the street.
festival Koen Dori sees by far the highest pedestrian numbers but it decreases significantly towards north
2438people perhour
6042people perhour
753people perhour
2525peopleperhour
396people perhour
4944 people per hour
4946 people per hour
All pedestrian observed through Public Life counts from Feb. 9 and 10
to compare with stationary
There were very few seniors and children observed moving through the area, indicating safety concerns or missing invitations.
When comparing people moving to who the residents are in the area, we see some age groups that live nearby are not visible in public spaces. For example, 20% of the local population are seniors (65+), but only 5% of those observed moving on Koen Dori were senior citizens. This could indicate concerns about safety or a lack of invitations to engage with the public space.
Comparing people moving in public space with people living in the area
People moving in public space
People living within a 1km radius
Children Babies/ Toddlers
Teenagers
All observed movement counts from Feb. 9,10 and 16 compared with demographic data surrounding the survey locations.
of the population in the area are seniors, but only
of people observed moving on the streets were senior citizens
How might we… create events that utilize the whole space and invite people to distribute more evenly along the full route?
Castro Street Mountain View, California
Use events and festivals to pilot the redistribution of road space
02
Create a Welcoming Entrance
Ensure that festival entry points feel inviting and intuitive, with clear signage, friendly greeters, and interactive welcome zones. While safety remains important, police presence can sometimes feel intimidating. Explore ways to soften their role, such as positioning them as information guides or pairing them with cultural ambassadors, to help maintain security while allowing visitors feel more at ease.
Reduce permanent barrieres at edge of sidewalk
During the festival fences, parked bikes, and advertisements create barriers between sidewalks and driving lanes. Wherever possible, these should be removed to open up the street for pedestrians and help people see the entire roadway as a continuous public space to move along.
03
Extend the energy from south to north by
During the street closure, most activities, artworks, and temporary furniture were concentrated in the southern part of Koen Dori. in the future the stage, in particular, could serve as a focal point and the northern end, drawing people in. To extend the festival’s energy and encourage more people to engage with the space, activations should be distributed more evenly along the street.
Extend the energy from south to north by balancing
the
programming mix
Strategies
● Create a grand, defined gateway at every entrance to give the festival a strong presence
● Ensure an unobstructed central walkway for seamless movement throughout the entire corridor
● Offer a dynamic mix of free, interactive programming alongside curated food and beverage experiences.
● Work with existing businesses on the corridor to encourage people to stay longer
Through Zone
Central walkway provides safe, low speed access for active mobility modes.
Key public life activities: walking, using micro mobility
Social Programming
Social seating, hang-out areas, and play spaces that are publicly accessible and free to use. These areas could include picnic tables, moveable lounge chairs, climbable structures, and other types of urban furniture, as well as public art installations. These areas are accessible to invite users of all abilities. Contextually flexible, the type of social programming is specific for each block, based on the existing character, adjacent ground floor uses.
Key public life activities: playing, engaging with public art, in conversation
Outdoor Dining Patios
Defined food and beverage areas allocated to specific businesses for outdoor seating. These areas are pay-to-sit.
Key public life activities: eating and drinking, engaging in commerce
Welcoming Gateway
Areas at every festival entrance that leverage themed archways or bold signage, integrate wayfinding elements, and double as convenient meeting points.
Key public life activities: navigating, people watching, taking photo
Extend the energy from south to north by balancing the programming mix
Welcoming Gateway
Outdoor Dining Patios
Through Zone
Castro Street | Mountain View, California, USA
Reimagining main street as a public space that puts people first
Castro Street was closed to vehicular traffic in response to COVID-19. While the initial closure was met with strong support, the temporary design had shortcomings.
Gehl created an interim street redevelopment plan with a unified framework for streetscape function and programing, as well as design guidelines that laid the foundation for a permanent redesign in 3-5 years.
Context & Core Challenge
● Gaps in programing, functionality, and accessibility between short-term crisis-response and permanent redesign
● Undefined spaces meant program zones and mobility compete. Despite street closure, the majority of people moved along the edges on the sidewalks. Without a clear central path for movement, dining patios turned their backs toward the center with enclosed, temporary tent structures lining the walkway, creating a fragmented experience.
● People of all modes are uncomfortable at intersections. There’s a lot of hesitation at intersections and disregard between people walking, on bikes, and in cars, highlighting an issue of legibility. Though vehicles and pedestrians move slowly through the configuration, there was an opportunity to create safer intersections by clearly indicating right-of-way priorities and establishing clear sightlines.
Turning a downtown street into a pedestrian mall
Key Facts
● Location: Mountain View, California, USA
● Initiative Start Date: 2020
● Initiative Completion Date: 2021
● Initiative Owner: City of Mountain View
Castro Street | Mountain View, California, USA
Next we developed outdoor patio standards and guidelines for businesses Development Process
We identified challenges with the existing condition through Public Space Public Life Study Then developed functional plans, program plans, & interim Design Guidelines for city programming
To assess physical challenges, such as unclear wayfinding for all modes of movement through the corridor, and operational issues, including the ambiguous stewardship structure of the emergency pedestrianization implemented in response to COVID-19.
To guide the City of Mountain View’s approach to reorganizing, maintaining, and operating the street.
To make it easy and clear for local businesses to adjust to the higher standards initiated in the new interim conditions and gain the permitting and design necessary for the street’s transformation.
Lastly, we created street treatment concepts and conducted a follow up Public Space Public Life Survey
To help the City celebrate the interim conditions of the street transformation, reinforce the new allocation of public space, and understand how people move and stay on Castro Street.
Sunset Strip Gateways | Los Angeles, USA
Investing in entrances to enhance placemaking
The Sunset Strip is a cultural destination in Los Angeles, but has not historically met its potential as a destination for people. Gehl collaborated with the City of West Hollywood to pave the way for a future Sunset Strip that is both a local main street and a world-class destination for visitors from around the world. This street needs to both foster special events and every day public life for residents and tourists.
Context & Core Challenge
● A focus of the design proposal for the Sunset Strip was to rethink the gateways to improve their wayfinding and invest in placemaking and temporary strategies that would reinforce the strip’s unique identity.
● Key factors considered for the street were design and aesthetics, functionality and flow, good materials, and security and crowd management.
● After Gehl’s 2019 Sunset Strip Gateway Concepts, the City issued an RFQ in 2020. The City Council reviewed recommendations in 2021, advancing schematic design and community engagement. Ongoing stakeholder engagement has included the Sunset Strip BID, Chamber of Commerce, and Visit West Hollywood, to gather input before the full project development.
La Cienega
Doheney Rd
Western Gateway
Sunset Strip Gateways La Cienega Gateway
A new plaza on the Sunset Strip offers a stunning view of the city while inviting people to spend time here and become a part of the Sunset Strip landscape by interacting with the billboards. This Gateway concept takes advantage of this central location on Sunset Strip. It provides traffic calming while offering a new public plaza on Sunset Strip.
The plaza spills out from the sidewalk into excess road space in front of a vacated building, capturing pedestrians that arrive at the Sunset street at places other than its east and west Gateways.
An interactive component plays on the billboards of Sunset, inviting people to activate the facades of the vacant building with user-generated content by: projection, spotlight shadow, photo upload or similar.
La Cienega Gateway Concept Elements:
Sidewalkextension plaza
Pedestrian refuge
Bollards and planters
Treatment of garage entrances
Seating and shade
SidewalkTrail elements
Lighting
Front row seat to city vista
Marunouchi Street Park
Utilize urban streets for recreation and social interaction
This seasonal urban initiative in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district transforms Marunouchi Nakadori Avenue into a pedestrian-friendly public space. The event, held multiple times a year, features installations such as seating areas, greenery, art displays, and interactive events. By temporarily converting a business district into a vibrant gathering space, Marunouchi Street Park aims to enhance walkability, promote community socialization, and explore new ways to utilize public space.
Context & Core Challenge
● Marunouchi is a major business district, so integrating public space without disrupting daily commercial activities is a key challenge.
● The temporary installations use eco-friendly materials and efficient resource management to minimize environmental impact.
Staying in Shibuya 渋谷での滞留・滞在について
In Shibuya, people are on the move because there are very few invitations to spend time in the public realm… 渋谷にはゆっくりと時間を過ごすことができる パブリックスペースが少なく、移動する人が 大半を占める。
but people crave high quality public spaces and invitations to pause and socialize in Shibuya.
質の高いパブリックスペースでは 人々は留まり、交流を楽しむ。
Shibuya is a 3D ward where highquality spaces are located on rooftops, making its unique identity and atmosphere less visible from the street.
Shibuya is a multi-level district where vibrant public spaces are mostly found on rooftops, while street level functions primarily serve as a transit corridor. This makes the streets feel uninviting for people to stop, socialize, or stay and can contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed or overcrowded.
What if this plaza and the laneway offered comfortable amenities and showed more identity?
The focus should be on making the street level more inviting for movement and staying, rather than adding more layers to the city.
What if there were opportunities to linger at every level?
What if this small plaza was extended and better connected?
Koen
Dori and its surrounding
streets offer very few invitations to freely spend time and socialize.
Koen Dori and its surrounding streets mainly function as movement corridors, offering few opportunities to pause and spend time. The lack of comfortable street elements for staying and socializing limits their potential for people to linger. Small plazas and lanes could be better utilized by adding more amenities, from seating to greenery. Additionally, the northern end of Koen Dori, near the bus station, could turn into a more connected public space for relaxing.
A high number of informal seating indicate missing benches
People leaning on fencing and other objects shows there is a demand.
When given the opportunity to sit comfortably, like in Kitaya Park, people sit down and the amount of standing reduces.
When people are given the opportunity to sit comfortably, they take advantage of it. In contrast, the spaces that lack proper seating, such as street areas, force people to sit in informal ways like on curbs, stairs, or leaning on fences. Our observations show that in areas like Kitaya Park, where seating is available, the number of people sitting increases significantly.
Comparing posture in streetscapes with public plazas.
Kitaya Parkcompared to the streetscapes
Data from Public Life
Observations from February 9th, 10th, and 16th over 4 hours.
The high-stimulus environment diminishes enjoyment when people spend time outside.
In the streets of Shibuya, like Koen Dori, the sensory experience can be unpleasant due to traffic noise and dust from the road. When seating is provided, it is often very close to the traffic which further enhances the unpleasant sensory experience and exposes people to bad air quality. In contrast, Kitaya Park is a pleasant sensory environment due to the greenery that provides a barrier from traffic and inviting greenery
Koen Dori
Protection against unpleasant sensory experiences
Traffic noise
Field Note: Occasional noise and dust from vehicular traffic; fixed seating provided but next to high volume of foot traffic and intersection.
Kitaya Park
Protection against unpleasant sensory experiences
Field Note: Lush landscaping buffers visitors from traffic and noise; seating integrated with stepped design provides clear sightlines, allowing people to see across the space.
Lush greenery creates a moment of respite
Limited seating next to high volume of foot traffic on narrow sidewalk
Ample seating on stepped typology provides visibility
Spatial analysis conducted by Gehl in February 2025
Shibuya’s vibrancy is a double edged sword as it also means it is perceived as overwhelming and overcrowded.
When interview respondents describe Shibuya, the top three answers were lively, overwhelming, and overcrowded which are all reflecting the reality that Shibuya is a vibrant public realm that can be perceived positively and negatively.
Shibuya is always vibrant with so many people with different backgrounds. – Post Card response
Top 5 words used to describe Shibuya
Out of 57 words used to described Shibuya by interviewees, ‘Lively’ and ‘Overwhelming/Overcrowded’ were the most popular.
Shibuya feels a little dangerous with the congestion. – Female teenager from Tokyo interviewed on Koen Dori
Responses from the question “What 3 words would you use to describe Shibuya?” in an intercept surveys conducted in Shibuya, February 2025 with a total of 244 respondents.
Perceptions of the area changes based on where people are.
On Koen Dori, people primary said Shibuya is lively and vibrant while on Hachiko Square people describe Shibuya as crowded and overwhelming. It should also be noted that Kitaya Park was the only location where interviewees did not describe Shibuya as crowded and overwhelming at all, and instead only had positive descriptions of the ward.
Top 3 words used to describe areas in Shibuya
Kitaya Parkis the only location where “Crowded, Overwhelming” was not reported by people.
Responses from the question “What 3 words would you use to describe Shibuya?” in an intercept surveys conducted in Shibuya, February 2025 with a total of 244 respondents.
Few seniors and children were observed spending time which may be due to the lackof opportunities to take a breakand rest.
While many seniors 65+ and children live in the district, they are excluded from enjoying the public spaces and street network, likely because of the lack of opportunities to sit, rest, and take breaks. This vulnerable population group requires places to rest, and need protected places where there isn’t much pedestrian or car traffic.
Comparing people staying in public space with people living in area
People staying in public space
People living with a 1km radius
Toddlers
Data from Public life observations on the 9th, 10th, and 16th of February 2025 over 4 hours and Shibuya’s open data source.
less children under 14 are in public spaces compared to their share of the local population.
of the population in the area are seniors, but only
of people observed spending time in the public realm were senior citizens. 2%
Seniors and children want opportunities to sit down and rest.
More children are present when the street was closed.
Seniors and children will use any given opportunity to sit down along the street. Seniors, in particular, were seen sitting in parks and along the traffic-calmed street in Pingondori. There was a noticeable increase in children's presence when the street was closed, where there were plenty of benches and play elements, and the street was safely protected from traffic.
Observations
of seniors and children staying in public space
Traffic calm areas attract both seniors and children.
Seniors
Places with ample seating attracts seniors.
77% of seniors are sitting down.
More children were seen during the street closure with 26% increase
Children
Seniors and children observed in Public Life counts in all stationary survey locations on Feb. 9, 10 and 16 over 4 hours
People wish for increased access to relaxing spaces with proximity to
The desire for more seating and spaces to rest and converse was not only reflected in the public life data but also prominently stated in the postcards. Many people expressed a desire for increased access to relaxing spaces that are close to nature, as well as a broader variety of options for pausing and sitting. Several postcards specifically highlighted this need.
Visitordesires: While some requests may be unrealistic due to Shibuya’s high density there is a request for more places of respite in the urban fabric.
Use the mature trees to create a relaxing space in nature by adding benches and soft lighting
Relaxing plaza where you can hear and enjoy the sound of acoustic guitar
Large plaza & places with many trees
Places where you can take seat & rest when you are tires
Places where people can stay long
Greens & flowers, plants
Postcards from on site postcard booth conducted on the 9th and 10th of February 2025.
Places where you can rest, like benches
Opportunities to
play is another option that is in high demand and currently lacking in Shibuya.
Postcards indicated a desire for the inclusion of play infrastructure and opportunities for play. None of the six public spaces we assessed in Shibuya rated high for play infrastructure. However, there are numerous small plazas and street intersections that could be redesigned to provide more space for play along with seating and greenery. Adding play infrastructure would meet a high demand and diversify the amenity mix offered across the district.
Postcards from on site postcard booth conducted on the 9th and 10th of February 2025.
All Six Public Space Quality Assessments Combined
People want play equipment (e.g playground with slides and trampolines)…. …and spaces that foster play across generations. They want it to be easy and comfortable for caretakers too!
Poor Average Good Opportunities for play & exercise
Data from space quality analysis conducted on 10th of February 25
There are few spaces and temporary activations supporting stress-free physical activity and free play.
A desire forsimple public space improvements to heighten
the overall quality of the public
facilities to keep
In addition to seating and play areas, trash cans were another basic public space element that emerged as a common request during the engagement activities. Feedback from both the Postcard Booth and the Eye-Level City Walks highlighted the need for simple facilities to keep the streets clean.
Urban elements that protect from the changing weather and make it more pleasant and possible to linger and spend time in the public
Mist shower in the city during summer & wide bench
Postcards from on site postcard booth conducted on the 9th and 10th of February
Image from Eye level Walks, tagged “Frustrated” & “Overwhelmed”.
Simple
Trashcans
The Koen Dori area is high density and has many amenities that are popular, but not always diverse in what they serve.
Shibuya’s high-density areas are dominated by big retail and dining destinations that lack diversity. In fact, 83% of the amenities are beverages and services. Arts and culture make up only a small percentage, and health, civic spaces, and green areas are minimal accounting for just 1% of amenities. The most popular amenities are large shops and shopping malls, rather than cultural hubs or parks.
83% of amenities are stores, malls, restaurants and bars
Amenities in Shibuya
Data from Google Maps API
Shibuya has more than twice as many amenities/km² than around Times Square in NYC
Amenity mapping based of Google Maps data.
People appreciate the density of amenities such as small shops and restaurants, and don’t want to lose that quality.
Many of the photos captured by the university students reflected a strong appreciation for small shops and ground-floor spaces, highlighting the value of diverse amenities and functions within buildings. Our assessment of ground-floor and facade activities along Koen Dori showed that when facades are activated people tend to stop, engage, and interact.
It's nice to see so many shops in a narrow building, which is typical of Shibuya.
– Observation from Eye Level Walk.
and people love
Most ground floor shop fronts are activated, meaning they offer something interesting or dynamic to lookat and people become more stimulated.
Active facades
The small shop density contributes to Shibuya’s unique identity,
it.
Facades analysis conducted by Gehl in February 2025
Several ground floors, parking lots, and the spaces in front of them are inactive and feel understimulating.
Many ground floors, parking lots, and spaces in front of buildings remain inactive, feeling understimulating and unexciting. This lack of engaging elements outside of shops contributes to the atmosphere of Shibuya as a place primarily for moving through. Without anything intriguing at ground level to capture attention, people simply pass by without stopping.
New large scale developments have less ground floor activation and additional spaces for ramps.
There are several ground floor buildings that don't offer anything interesting to lookat or are currently vacant.
Inactive facades
Facades analysis conducted by Gehl in February 2025
How might we… provide high quality places forall to pause and enjoy city life?
Diversify, connect and expand the public space network
01
Provide more diverse inventory like seating, play infrastructure, trash cans and greenery
02
Understand road space as public space that can be designed as a place to stay
Streetscapes, plazas and small niches can provide more basic infrastructure like seating, trash cans and greenery. Places with traffic calming measures can integrate play infrastructure. Incorporate a variety of seating options like benches, lounge areas, and shaded spots to ensure visitors of all ages can relax and enjoy the district. Thoughtful placement of free-of-charge seating where possible will allow people to linger and engage with the district.
Road space accounts for the majority of our public spaces, and every square meter is valuable. It can serve functions beyond just moving and parking cars. Wherever the spaces allows it streets should also be designed as places to stay, allowing ground-floor activities to spill out, providing shade, seating, and space for different modes of transport to park (logistics, bikes, people with disabilities, taxis, micro mobility etc.).
Diversify, connect and expand the public space network
03
Create a networkand hierarchy of public spaces from vibrant to calm
04
Shibuya urban spaces would benefit from a clear hierarchy and networkof streets and public areas. Major parks and open spaces should offer different amenities and functions than quieter plazas and small green pockets. Central neighborhood squares, in particular, should be designed with distinct uses, serving as focal points for community life.
Traffic in Shibuya still prioritizes cars, even though they make up only a small share of road users. The road networkand circulation plan should be updated to improve accessibility for everyone while reclaiming valuable public space that can be redesigned as inclusive, people-centered places.
Times Square | NewYork, USA
Using people data to make the case for street transformation
The NewYorkCity Department of Transportation (DOT) used human-centered data to transform Times Square from a traffic-ridden roadbed into a thriving public plaza, using a temporary pilot to measure, test, and refine the design and programming of the street while building political will for a controversial shift in how the city redevelops the space.
From a dangerous and unpleasant vehicular thoroughfare to a bustling, iconic pedestrian square in the heart of NewYorkCity
Context & Core Challenge
● Congestion in a dense urban environment: Midtown Manhattan is a highly dense environment that faced mobility challenges, including crowded sidewalks, clogged car traffic, and poor bicycling conditions. In addition to traffic congestion, there were higher crash rates in Times Square compared to other Manhattan streets.
● Missing data on eye-level conditions: While traffic data had been collected, there was no information on pedestrian and cyclist patterns along Broadway Avenue, the street running through Times Square.
● Costly and time-consuming capital reconstruction process: DOT’s process for streetscape improvements was costly and lengthy, stunting much needed public space investment across the city.
Key Facts
● Location: NewYork, USA
● Initiative Start Date: 2008
● Initiative Completion Date: 2016
● Initiative Owner: NYC Department of Transportation
63% decrease in traffic injuries after 2009 pilot
Times Square | NewYork, USA
Solutions
Commissioning a public life study
To combat midtown Manhattan’s congestion and poor pedestrian experience, Mayor Bloomberg commissioned Gehl to study how people moved and spent time along Broadway Avenue.
Using data for visioning and political buy-in
Using data on people’s movement patterns let DOT make the case for shutting down Manhattan’s most iconic roadway at Times Square - a politically charged idea.
Piloting a street redesign
Permanently pedestrianizing Broadway Avenue
DOT implemented a pilot project that closed the roadbed to cars and created new places for people to spend time and move through Times Square. The multiple iterations of the pilot included temporary elements such as plastic lounge chairs, asphalt paint, and more permanent bistro tables and chairs.
Based on the success of the pilot, as evidenced by the data collected, DOT, in collaboration with other city and business entities, made the decision to permanently pedestrianize Times Square.
Times Square | NewYork, USA
Deep Dive: Permanently pedestrianizing Broadway Avenue
Despite it being at the heart of Manhattan and an iconic tourist destination, Broadway Avenue was notorious for its congestion and traffic injuries.
The pilot project to temporarily remove vehicular traffic on Broadway proved to be an immense success, gaining support from various stakeholders.
Based on the success of the pilot, the Department of Transportation, in collaboration with other city and business entities, made the decision to permanently pedestrianize Times Square.
Superkilen | Copenhagen
A place that represents local diversity.
Superkilen is a vibrant public parkin Copenhagen that celebrates diversity by merging architecture, landscape design, and art. The space features 99 objects from 59 countries, chosen by local residents through an innovative participation process aimed at reflecting the many cultures of the neighborhood. The parkconsists of three distinct zones—The Red Square, The BlackSquare, and The Green Park—each with its own aesthetic and cultural influences. The space serves as a spatial connection and linkto surrounding districts that strengthen the community.
Context & Core Challenge
● Residents played a key role in selecting urban objects and art, making the park a unique example of participatory design.
● Located along the Nørrebroruten bike path, Superkilen links to other green spaces in Copenhagen.
● Designed to respond to personal safety concerns in the area, reports suggest that antisocial behavior hasn’t been an issue in the park since it opened.
DIG Shibuya offered invitations to stay, play, get inspired and socialize…
DIG Shibuya は人々に留まり、遊び、刺 激を受け、交流する機会を提供した
yet, programming and offerings could be diversified and expanded in the future.
今後更にプログラムやコンテンツを多様化・ 拡大させることが必要に。
DIG showed
that streets can be public spaces by inviting a wide variety of people to engage in different activities and art experiences.
Despite rather cold weather kids gathered to sit and enjoy the space, a crowd gathered to watch the hip-hop artist perform on the street, and people loved playing with the pineapple tossing game. Even simple features like leaning bars were used in new ways, as people took notice of the events around them.
Streets can be transformed quickly and effortlessly with seating and participation elements…
People will use anything they can to sit down and watch life go by, even if it is not very comfortable.
… into places where it is safe and inviting for children and adults alike.
When you give people a reason to come and spend time in the public realm, they do, even queuing for an option to play.
The
street closure provided more space for a high volume of pedestrians to spend time.
During DIG Shibuya, Koen Dori was closed to cars allowing people to use the entire space for various activities. With activated, vibrant facades and ample seating options, the streetscape transformed into a dynamic linear public space that encouraged people to linger. Referring to it as a “street closure” carries a negative connotation—terms like “street festival” or “street party” better capture its inviting and lively nature.
Active, vibrant facades every few steps
Koen Dori South during DIG
Opportunities to stop & stay
Opportunity to sit and people watch
50% of facades rated A
Facades with good ground floor design details that invite staying
Penguin Dori during DIG Festival
Opportunities to stop & stay
50% of facades rated A
Room for walking
Much of the space at the northern end of Koen Dori was underutilized, with activities clustered in the southern end.
Much of the northern part of Koen Dori was underutilized, with significantly less pedestrian traffic and fewer people staying in public spaces. In fact, there was a 74% decrease in the number of people lingering in the northern section compared to the southern part. This highlights that when activities or invitations are provided, people are more likely to use the space.
Koen Dori North during DIG
Opportunities to stop & stay
Unused space
Inactive facades
Poor Average Good
Facade quality
60% of facades rated A
pedestrian traffic compared to the southern part of Koen Dori (see this slides) -63%
-74% of people staying in public space compared to the southern part
Pedestrian data from Public Life counts conducted in February 9th over 4 hours.
Stickiness of public spaces and density of people staying decreased towards the north.
During the street closure, areas with programmed activities or spaces that were comfortable to linger in, such as the south of Koen Dori and Kitaya Park, attracted more people and had a higher level of "stickiness" (this refers to the proportion of people who stay versus those walking by). Kitaya Park was dense and "sticky," because it is a destination. In contrast, the northern part of Koen Dori, did not attract people to stay despite the pineapple throwing game. This may be due to a lack of seating and programming.
Observed people per hectare during the festival
434 people per ha
Southern section of Koen Dori sees much more stationary activity
2940 people per ha
346 people per ha
506 people per ha
1311 people per ha
848 people per ha
Kitaya Parkis the densest and stickiest place Click arrow to compare with movement
All pedestrian observed through Public Life counts from Feb. 9 and 10
Most stationary activity happened where and when cultural events happened.
Public life observations showed that the most common activities in public spaces were having conversations, using electronics, waiting for someone, and participating in events. The areas with the highest concentration of these activities were Kitaya Park and the southern part of Koen Dori, where cultural events were taking place, highlighting that stationary activities often take place in locations and times when cultural events are happening.
Top 5 activities observed in public space
In Conversation
Using Electronics Waiting forSomeone/Something
Participating in Event / Program
Engaged with Commerce (Selling / Buying)
Top 5 activities observed in all stationary survey locations on Feb. 9, 10 and 16 over 4 hours
This section of street closure attracted most of the event participants
Kitaya park was the most popular for all types of activities
The DIG Shibuya festival fostered social interaction.
Social interactions are a good way to measure the impact and quality of a public space. During the festival, and the flea market on February 16, social interactions were notably higher than on a regular day. The map shows the locations where people were engaging with each other. Interactions were most prominent on Koen Dori during the street closure and in Kitaya Park during the flea market. This suggests that when activities are programmed, they naturally encourage and enhance social engagement among people.
Observations of people interacting
DIG Festival
50% more interactions on Koen Dori during the festival compared to baseline
16th of Feb
Data from Public Life counts conducted in February 9th and 16th 2025 over 4 hours. All observations from stationary surveys, colored by whether the person is interacting with others
Activations such as the flea market at Kitaya park provide opportunities to interact
DIG
Festival was male dominated indicating that the programming was not inclusive to all genders.
During the DIG Shibuya Festival, 63% of people in public spaces were male, a higher percentage than on a typical day, possibly suggesting the event's programming was not inclusive of all genders. This unusual gender split highlights an opportunity for future festivals to offer more diverse programming that appeals to everyone.
Comparing gendersplit of people staying in public space during DIG and after the festival
DIG Festival
9th and 10th of Feb.
16th of Feb.
Gender data from Public Life observations conducted on Feb. 9, 10 and 16 over 4 hours
How might we… expand the impact that DIG can have on Shibuya's visitors?
どうしたら、渋谷を訪 れる人々に対してより 影響力をもつことがで きるのか？
Expand DIG into new spaces
01
Activate Vacant and Underutilized Spaces
Transform empty storefronts, buildings, and unconventional spaces like parking garages into festival venues. These spaces can be pop-up galleries, performance areas, or interactive installations, making DIG Shibuya feel more integrated into the urban fabric. Activating unused spaces will increase the festival’s footprint and invite organic engagement from passersby.
02
Diversify Interactive Activities
Expand the range of artistic and cultural experiences to attract a broader audience. Interactive installations, participatory performances, and workshops will invite visitors to engage rather than observe. By making tech supported art immersive and accessible, the festival can appeal to new age groups and interests, fostering deeper connections with the public.
03
Collaborate with Cultural Institutions for Greater Reach
Partner with small galleries, museums, and cultural institutions to unfold their presence into the public realm. DIG Shibuya is currently active on Instagram, which limits its ability to reach a wider audience. By collaborating with institutions that have broad networks, the festival can increase visibility and attract an audience that are not the usual suspects.
Experiencing Shibuya
渋谷での散策体験より
Shibuya is perceived as a neighborhood of fashion, culture and entertainment…
but it wants to be known for art, tech, and innovation. ファッション、カルチャー、エンターテ イメントの街という渋谷のイメージ
People thinkof Shibuya as a place for entertainment, fashion, and culture and less as a place of art and technology.
Based on the interviews and intercept surveys conducted by the students, it’s clear that people primarily associate Shibuya with entertainment, fashion, and culture. Fashion tops the list, with 55% of respondents mentioning it, followed by culture. In contrast, art and technology are much less commonly linked to Shibuya, pointing to the ward’s stronger connection to entertainment and lifestyle.
Shibuya tends to be a place of consumption; DIG is moving in the right direction by combining Art and Tech to connect the people and the stories
Noriaki Nakata, NEORT
Responses from the question “When I think of Shibuya I think of…?” in an intercept surveys conducted in Shibuya, February 2025 with a total of 244 respondents.
Perception of Shibuya changes depending on the respondent’s relationship with the ward, but fashion and entertainment are always in the top 3.
Perceptions of Shibuya vary depending on the respondent's connection to the area. Visitors often associate the ward with fashion and culture, while workers tend to focus on culture first and then fashion. Despite these differences, fashion and entertainment consistently rank among the top three associations.
Comparing the perception of Shibuya between different user groups
Responses from the question “Why did you come here today?” in an intercept surveys conducted in Shibuya, February 2025 with a total of 244 respondents.
Shibuya is a vibrant cultural hub that is welcoming to people of all backgrounds.
Interviews and postcard responses consistently highlighted the ward’s welcoming atmosphere, making it the most frequently mentioned characteristic. Additionally, around 15% of postcards described Shibuya as a district of culture and innovation, reinforcing its dynamic and inclusive identity.
Trend City, transforming itself along with the flow of the times
in postcards is (across 15%
Frontier of Culture
Postcards from the on-site postcard booth conducted on the 9th and 10th of February 2025. of postcards speak positively about Shibuya's culture and innovation
University students primarily perceive Shibuya as a place of culture, while art and technology doesn’t feature heavily in the ward.
While walking through Shibuya, students were particularly reminded of culture in the urban environment. The majority of photos they took were of cultural elements, followed by art, and finally technology at a much lesser extent.
116 photos
Null 18 photos
Responses to the prompt “What does this picture relate to?” from Eye Level walks in Shibuya from 24 students from Tokyo University and Kokushikan University conducted in February 2025
University Students said cultural moments evoke the broadest range of emotions compared to art and technology.
Among the photos captured by students, cultural moments stood out as the most emotionally impactful, evoking a broader range of feelings than art or technology. Students associated culture with positive feelings highlighting the significant emotional connection between culture and the ward’s atmosphere.
Emotions tagged to photos relating to:
Culture
Technology
The strongest positive emotions were associated with photos of culture which made up 55% of all photos taken Overall, people express positive feelings towards the three themes
Art
Responses to the prompt “What does this picture relate to?” from Eye Level walks in Shibuya from 24 students conducted in February 2025
Objects and signs are the most common way people see culture, art and technology within the ward.
This could suggest a need for more art and technology signals that isn’t driven by commercial interest, but rather for the pleasure of viewing or interacting with.
Culture Technology Art
Objects Signs
Objects were the highest reason why a photo was tagged with art, culture, and/or technology and they account for 27% of all tags.
Signs accounted for 17% of the reasons a photo was tagged with art, culture, or technology, and they appeared in one-third of all photos.
People
People were the primary reason for tagging a photo in the culture category, accounting for 35% of all photos labeled as culture.
Stickers and statues contribute to Shibuya’s identity - and during DIG, the pineapples added to the positive feeling of the festival.
Stickers and graffiti are key elements of Shibuya’s identity, but statues also play a significant role, with many visitors taking photos with landmarks like Hachiko. This could explain the success of the pineapple art during the DIG festival—its vibrant colors and photogenic appeal contributed to distinctive placemaking.
Originally, graffiti is prohibited, but you can often see it in cities such as Shibuya, and you can feel the atmosphere.
– Observation from Eye Level Walk
8% of all photos contain stickers orgraffiti note the unique identity
love
31% of people mentioned the pineapples when asked what they liked about DIG (this had the most mentions)
People
Hachiko, the dog statue in front of the Shibuya Station, as a symbol of the neighborhood
How might we… ensure that events, governance structures, and long-term urban interventions work togetherto position Shibuya as a center forart, technology, and innovation?
Integrate signals of art and technology in new ways
01
Establish the Shibuya Urban Futures Lab
An innovation lab prototyping new experiences at the intersection of art, tech, and culture. It could be a test-bed for experimental public interventions, bring together stakeholders to deploy temporary installations, digital activations, and interactive environments, ie: AI-generated public art or augmented reality storytelling in the city. This could position Shibuya as a leader in the future of urban cultural experiences.
02
Create a Cultural-Tech Policy Incubator
A policy support program would help artists, technologists, and cultural orgs navigate regulations, funding, and permitting for projects in public space. By streamlining processes and providing small grants or matchmaking services, this incubator would lower barriers for activations that blend culture, art, and technology—allowing visitors to engage with a new diversity of projects.
03
Embed Art and Digital
Culture into the city fabric
Consider integrating artistic and technological signals into transit hubs, streetscapes, and retail areas. This could include interactive wayfinding systems, digital murals that evolve based on public input, or fashion-tech collaborations that blend Shibuya’s entertainment identity with new creative formats. By embedding cultural-technical experiences into daily life, the ward can shift perceptions organically over time.
04
Allow spaces for free cultural and artistic expression
Not every space needs to be professionally designed and engineered. Creative environments thrive on flexibility—like open walls for street art, movable seating for performances, or unprogrammed areas for spontaneous music and storytelling. These spaces invite people to make them their own.
Quartier des Spectacles | Montréal, Canada
Becoming the cultural and technology heart of Montréal.
Initiated in 2002 and implemented over two decades, the Quartier des Spectacles cultural district development transformed a one-square-kilometer area in downtown Montréal into North America’s leading hub for the incubation and discovery of creative practices intended for large-scale deployment in public space. Key to its success was the creation of the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership in 2003, which brought together over 85 members to manage and animate public spaces, program cultural activities, and promote the district.
Context & Core Challenge
● Revitalization of a Declining Area: The district needed significant revitalization by the end of the 20th century, despite its rich cultural history
● Balancing Diverse Stakeholder Interests: The project faced tensions between City of Montréal, private developers, and culture and tourism organizations, and existing residents
● Creating aYear-Round Destination: Developing the area into an all-season, day and night destination that would attract both tourists and locals
● Integrating Cultural and Economic Development: The project aimed to position culture as a key developmental tool for Montreal while also stimulating economic growth
Once a parking lot, now a thriving cultural hub — home to North America’s greatest concentration of cultural venues, alive with art, light, and talent year-round
The initiative leveraged public investment of $150 million to generate over $1.5 billion in real estate economic benefits,
Key Facts
● Location: Montréal, Canada
● Initiative Start Date: 2003
● Initiative Completion Date: 2009-2021 completed in phases
● Initiative Owner: Quartier des Spectacles Partnership
Quartier des Spectacles | Montréal, Canada
Strategies
Developed an Urban Digital Laboratory
The district features an Urban Digital Laboratory that installed over 300 pieces of state-of-the-art equipment throughout the 1 km² area. The laboratory fosters a unique ecosystem where art, technology, and urban development intersect to create immersive public experiences and position Montréal as a global leader in urban creative practices.
Collaboration with Tech Companies Promoting Innovations in Interactive Public Art
Invest and Program its Public Realm
The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership has signed agreements with technology companies like Panasonic to provide cutting-edge audio-visual equipment and expertise, fostering innovation in artistic creation and presentation.
The district has become an international showcase for digital public art, hosting innovative urban installations involving cutting-edge lighting design and immersive environments. Additionally, the Partnership has exported public art installations to 35 cities in just over two years, promoting Montreal’s creativity internationally.
The district features eight public spaces built to host festivals, cultural events, and activities year-round. Four building facades double as video projection surfaces, showcasing original art every night. The public spaces support over 40 festivals and countless cultural events annually.
DIG was the main reason for people to visit and it influenced their perception of how welcoming the ward is…
DIGは、⼈々が渋⾕を訪れる主な理由 であり、街がいかに歓迎的かという認 識に影響を与えた。
but since it only happens two days per year, how can the festival create lasting impact?
⼆⽇間だけの開催にとどまらず、 その影響を持続させるには？
The information sharing and promotion of DIG on site (and in the sky) worked well!
The visual signals, information sharing, and overall promotion of DIG were very effective. The branding was strong and consistently visible throughout the area. DIG's presence was evident not only on the ground but also in the sky, creating a striking impression. The information booth was strategically placed, ensuring accessibility, and the distribution of flyers increased visibility and captured additional crowds.
Drone show with QR code introduced the festival to a wider audience.
Information booth in front of Parco was well positioned and gave passersby the chance to join
Many people were handing out flyers and info material welcoming people to the festival.
Wayfinding and information at Hachiko Square was well positioned and informed passerby about the festival.
the festival.
People visit Shibuya for indoor activities, but DIG was in the top 3 reasons why people came to the area.
When asked about their reasons for visiting Shibuya, people mentioned a variety of activities, with indoor options being among the most common. Shopping, for example, was a popular choice, with 23% of respondents citing it as their main reason for coming. Notably, across all surveyed days, DIG consistently ranked among the top three reasons visitors came to the area, highlighting its strong appeal.
Why are you here today?
Most of these activities happen indoors
Responses from the question “When I think of Shibuya I think of…?” in an intercept surveys conducted in Shibuya, February 2025 with a total of 244 respondents.
The street closure changed the reason why people visited Shibuya.
The street closure significantly influenced why people chose to visit Shibuya. On the day of the closure, a notable 41% of people stated they came for the event. In contrast, when the street remained open, activities such as shopping, dinning, tourist attractions, and meeting friends were the main reasons for people to visit. This shift in behavior highlights the major role the street closure played in shaping how people engaged with the area.
9th of Feb.
10th of Feb.
41% of people interviewed on the day of the street closure came to Shibuya for DIG, and another 16% for going out.
On days without street-closure, interviewees said they come to Shibuya forshopping (21%), tourist attractions (16%), and meeting with friends (15%).
Responses from 224 interviews conducted on February 9th and 10th 2025 in Koen Dori, PARCO entrance, Kitaya Park, and Hachiko square.
People enjoyed the transformation of the street into an open air and interactive place. The colorful parklets were also mentioned by many as a favorite element of the street closure, both for the playfulness it brought to the street, and the increased opportunity to sit and spend time with others and socialize.
Postcards from on site postcard booth conducted on the 9th and 10th of February 2025.
I feel welcome in this space…
People felt more welcome on the day of the DIG street closure, and they want to see more events in Shibuya like this in the public space.
While people generally feel welcome in Shibuya, DIG Shibuya Festival increased the feeling of belonging by 13% and many expressed a desire to see an increase of events in Shibuya throughout the year.
10th of Feb.
9th of Feb. strongly agree and agree
People expressed a desire to see more events in Shibuya.
Postcards from on site postcard booth conducted on the 9th and 10th of February 2025.
How might we… program regular activations in the public realm to help shape how people perceive and navigate Shibuya?
Brooklyn NewYork, USA
Use
activations throughout
the
yearto build momentum forDIG
01
Inclusive programming
throughout the year
Develop an ongoing calendar of events that extends beyond the festival, reinforcing Shibuya as a hub for culture, technology, and creativity. Regular activations—ranging from pop-ups and digital art installations to community-led workshops—should be accessible, intergenerational, and inclusive.
02
Streamline Permitting for Activations
DIGに向けた機運醸成を高めるべ く、年間を通した活性化を。
03
Create an Impact Driven
Artist Brief
Simplify the approval process for cultural and technological activations in public space. This could include a fast-trackpermit system for installations, interactive art, or community-led experiments. Reducing bureaucratic hurdles and providing guidelines can contribute to Shibuya’s evolving cultural and innovation landscape.
Develop a impact oriented brief for festival applicants, ensuring activations align with Shibuya’s vision for culture, technology, and community engagement. Guidelines should prioritize projects that prototype new urban experiences, enhance public space, and foster inclusivity. This ensures festival interventions contribute to Shibuya’s evolving identity and support redevelopment goals.
04
Establish a Community Facing Micro-Grant Program
Support bottom-up innovation by creating a innovation program with micro-grants for local community groups to create their own projects in Shibuya’s public realm. Dedicate an innovation zone to these projects. This program could bring fresh perspectives to the city’s cultural landscape.
DIG Shibuya Impact Evaluation
Going beyond DIG. Towards a Vibrant Shibuya Informed by Human Centered Data.
