Regional Revitalization | 千島土地株式会社｜芝川家の伝統・事業・資産を繋ぐ価値創造カンパニー

( Concept )

Turning Kitakagaya
into a community brimming with creativity

Kitakagaya, located near the mouth of the Kizu River in the southwestern part of Osaka, the “city of water,” once prospered from the shipbuilding industry. Today, it is being transformed into a creative community where charming, retro buildings coexist with art.

Revitalizing Kitakagaya as a creative hub where arts and culture converge. This is the concept behind our Kitakagaya Creative Village Project. Chishima Real Estate is actively working to make Kitakagaya a more vibrant and attractive community by supporting the arts and utilizing our real estate assets.

( overview )

Our Initiatives

Kitakagaya, which once prospered from the shipbuilding industry, has faced serious issues with the changing times as the result of its vacant land and abandoned houses due to factory relocations as well as its aging population. As a real estate company that owns roughly one-third of the land in the area, we are implementing creative and sustainable initiatives to transform Kitakagaya into a vibrant and attractive community where people gather.

Preservation and restoration of historical buildings
Utilization of the real estate we own
Support for artists and creators
Exhibition and storage of artworks

( story )

The evolution of the Kitakagaya Creative Village Project

At the time of its return

01

It all started with the return of the former shipyard site and its utilization

Revitalizing Kitakagaya as a creative hub where arts and culture converge.
This initiative to revitalize Kitakagaya started in 1988 when the former Namura Shipbuilding Osaka site was returned in its existing condition.
Since conventional uses like residential development were not an option, the challenge was to find a suitable way to repurpose the former shipyard site.
02

An encounter with art. The turning point for the former shipyard site.

In 2004, Kitakagaya experienced a turning point through an encounter with theater producer Keito Kohara. He proposed the idea of revitalizing the former shipyard site as an art hub, leading to art events being held there.

NAMURA ART MEETING ’04-’34, which was held as a result, drew in scores of people and became a lively event that brought a new sense of energy to Kitakagaya. Through this event, we realized the potential of art and made the decision to revitalize the entire Kitakagaya area as a creative community brimming with arts and culture.
03

Kitakagaya’s ongoing evolution

The project began by leasing vacant properties at low rates to artists and creators, encouraging them to use them as creative spaces such as studios, galleries, or shops. Currently, there are about 50 spaces involved in the Kitakagaya Creative Village Project, with around 150 artists and creators using this community as their base of activities.

We are now broadening the scope of our creative initiatives, expanding into areas like culture and fashion.