Northern Intercity News 1

     

Mohri Mamoru, left, and Colin Fudge,keynote speakers at Winter Cities 2002

Aomori.

 Preparations for a successful WinterCities 2002 are well underway inAomori City in northern Japan.?Fostering Vibrant Northern Living:Environment, Culture, and Lifestyle?is the theme of the conference, whichwill feature the tenth biennialInternational Conference of Mayors ofNorthern Cities, the Winter CitiesForum, the eighth International WinterExpo, and other related events.

 Mayors ConferenceThe first Mayors Conference of thetwenty-first century will featureexchanges of ideas and policies forbuilding sustainable winter citiesbased on regional features. Theseinclude natural winter environmentsand winter lifestyles, with examplesfrom cities participating at theconference.    Because the Aomori conferenceis the tenth memorial session of the

 

    Professor Fudge is pro vice-chancellor and dean, faculty of theBuilt Environment, University of theWest of England and chair of theEU Urban Environment ExpertGroup. He conducts worldwideresearch in the field of sustainabledevelopment city policy.

 

 Mayors Conference ProgramFebruary 7IAMNC Board of Directors Meeting;IAMNC General Assembly;luncheon; joint press conferencewith the Mayors Conference,Forum, and Expo; opening session;and opening reception and dinnerbanquet.

 February 8Sectional sessions; luncheon;subcommittee reports anddiscussions; technical visits; andIAMNC tenth anniversary banquet.

 February 9

International Association of Mayorsof Northern Cities, developingconcrete measures for sustainabledevelopment has been made theoverall theme of the conference.The achievements of theconference will be made public in ajoint statement from theInternational Association of Mayorsof Northern Cities (IAMNC) and theWinter Cities Forum.    Professor Colin Fudge will givethe keynote speech at the openingsession of the Mayors Conference.Professor Fudge will speak on?Implementing Sustainable Futuresin Cities: Lessons from Policy andPractice,? and he will provideexamples of city planning in theEuropean Community, as well astargets for which winter citiesshould aim.   

Plenary session; presentations bycandidate cities for hosting thetwelfth Mayors Conference in 2006;board of directors meeting for theselection of the host city of thetwelfth Winter Cities Conference in2006 and luncheon; brief tour;participation in Health PromotionForum; Noh drama appreciation;dinner party.

 February 10Round-Up Forum (in conjunctionwith the Winter Cities Forum);closing ceremony; pressconference; luncheon; technicalvisits. 

  

Northern Intercity News 2

Winter Cities ForumThe Winter Cities Forum comprisesan Opening Forum and a Round-UpForum and eleven other sessionswithin the main theme, ?SeekingSustainability.? A variety ofprograms are being offered,including a City Planning andLifestyle Forum (eight sessions), aCitizens Forum (two sessions), anda Health Forum for people from avariety of fields, includingresearchers, administrators, andcitizenry—all meeting with the goalof learning from each other.

A Noh drama appreciation event is plannedfor Winter Cities 2002 participants.

 Winter Cities ForumProgram

 Opening ForumMohri Mamoru, former astronautand present director of the NationalMuseum of Emerging Science andInnovation, will speak on theimportance of the earth and theearth•fs current conditions throughhis perspective of having observedthe earth from outer space.    Additionally, Mr. Mohri andProfessor Colin Fudge will discussthe topic ?Coexistence Between theEarth and Humanity: ExaminingLifestyles of the Twenty-FirstCentury.?

 City Planning and LifestyleForumThe City Planning and LifestyleForum will focus on measures forlocal community developmentbased on circulation andharmonization with nature, andinvolving the latest research andtechnology. Emphasis will be onenergy, traffic, community design,and lifestyles for the continueddevelopment of northern cities assustainable winter communities. 

Round-Up Forum The Round-Up Forum will be heldjointly with the Mayors Conferenceand will summarize the entireWinter Cities 2002 AomoriConference, with informationexchanges between the MayorsConference and the Winter CitiesForum. A joint statement on theachievements of the Aomoriconference will be issued at thistime at the Round-Up Forum.

 

February 7• Opening Forum

•Possibility of Snow CultureStudies (Citizens)

• Advanced Snow Removal and Ice-Control Technology (Traffic)

   February 8• Energy for Living and SnowCountermeasure Energy in WinterCities (Energy)

• Community Design with CitizenInvolvement in Winter Cities(Community Design)

• Possibility of Snow and Ice EnergyUse (Energy)

• Future of Winter Life in WinterCities (Lifestyle)

   February 9• Urban Design in Winter Cities(Community Design)

• Ke-Ya-Gu: Ideal Relationship forPromotion of a Gender-EqualSociety (Citizens)

• Pedestrian Mobility in Winter(Traffic)

• Future of the Living Environmentin Winter Cities (Lifestyles)

• Health for All Winter Cities (Health)   February 10• Round-Up Forum

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8th International WinterExpoAt the International Winter Expo, awide variety of industries supportingwinter life will be introduced. Thetheme for the exposition is?Northern Lifestyles and theIndustry and Life of Winter Cities.?The Winter Expo includes the followingexhibits:•Winter Industry and TechnologyCornerIntroduction and sales oftechnology and productssupporting life in winter cities in awide variety of fields, includingenvironment, housing, and snow-and ice-related industries.

•Snow and Ice Academic StudiesCornerIntroduction to research related tosnow and ice.

•Urban Cities CornerAn introduction to city planning andtourism industries in northern cities.

•Northern Livelihood CornerAn introduction to measures andactivities to deal with snow andwinter involving citizens and privateorganizations.

 Jointly Held EventsWinter Cities Art ExhibitionHave a relaxing time among worksof art!Northern Cities are treasures of artand culture in the concrete form ofstored human wisdom, aestheticsense, and a passion that comesfrom living with and sometimesconquering severe naturalconditions. This InternationalExhibition highlights works of art

 

 

Snow-slide fun at the Aomori Winter Festival.

 Opportunity to Seethe Aomori Winter FestivalVisitors to Aomori City for WinterCities 2002 will also be able toobserve the Aomori winter festival.This annual event features gamesand sports and activities that takeplace all over the city. The Aomoriwinter festival will be held fromFebruary 9 to 11. 

For More InformationFor more information about theabove and additional events atWinter Cities 2002 Aomori and foran application form for theconference, please contact theWinter Cities 2002 Aomoriorganizing committee at thefollowing internet site:<www.city.aomori.aomori.jp/WCC2002>.

sent from northern cities.

 Noh Play AppreciationA traditional stage art, JapaneseNoh drama enthusiasts are proud ofthe art•fs history, which goes backmore than 600 years. The programwill be offered with explanationsand audio translation devices sothat the audience can understandand appreciate the background ofNoh drama.

  

 

 Northern Intercity News

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Aomori City promotes the development of a comfortable city withinput from its citizens. The ?Winter Cities Conference 2002 Aomori?will certainly be a meaningful opportunity for participants fromJapan and the rest of the world as well as Aomori•fs citizens toconsider city development together.Let•fs meet in Aomori in February 2002!!

     Aomori City is situated in the centerof Aomori Prefecture, which is themost northern point of Honshu, themain island of Japan. The city issurrounded by beautiful nature,including Mutsu Bay to the northand the Hakkoda Mountain Rangeto the south. Aomori City owes itsdevelopment to its unique positionas the transportation anddistribution hub for northern Japan.    Aomori enjoys mild weatherthroughout the year regardless ofthe season. In winter the averagetemperature is approximately 2•‹C

    Visions of the Future City—BlueForest: Great People, a GreatPlace to Live (diagramed below)comprises basic approaches andfive basic plan elements.

 Snow ManagementAn important goal for Aomori City is tomake life as convenient as possible,and in a city that receives an averageof eight meters of snow each winter,snow management becomes veryimportant. In addition to effectivedevices for snow removal, the city iscreating snow discharging gullies that

and only rarely does it fall as low as-10•‹C. Aomori is known as the citywith the heaviest snowfall amongmetropolitan areas with apopulation of three hundredthousand.    While coexisting with the snowand cold environment, Aomori Cityis promoting prosperous citydevelopment so that residents heremay live comfortably.

 

use treated sewage water and riverwater. The city is also working on asnow melting system that utilizesnatural energies, such as heat fromseawater and geothermal heating tohelp pedestrian mobility in winter.    To prevent seawater pollution atsnow dumping sites, Aomori isestablishing a system in which snow ismelted with treated waste water sothat only clean snowmelt runs into thesea.

   

Vision of the Future CityAomori City, along with its citizens,published in 1996 an overall cityplanning directive titled ?Aomori—theBlue Forest: A Creative Plan for the21st Century.?

 

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     Bringing People Back to theCityAomori City believes that from theviewpoint of snow removal and energyefficiency, compact city developmentis an efficient approach in a wintercity. Therefore, it is necessary toprevent the city from spreading intothe suburbs, and to activate thecenter of the city.    In recent years, two facilities havebeen opened here in order to bringprosperity back to the city center thatsurrounds Aomori Station: the Aomori

Passage Promenade

 Passage Promenade

Station Area Redevelopment Buildingand Passage Promenade.

 AUGA, the Aomori StationArea RedevelopmentBuildingAUGA, which opened in January2001, is a multipurpose facility thathouses a fish market, restaurants,and various shops, as well as anaudiovisual hall and a city library.Three months after its opening,AUGA had already been visited byover 1.3 million people, and AUGAmay be one of the most significantfactors for attracting many peopleback to downtown Aomori.

 

AUGA

 

 

In Passage Promenade, whichopened in September 2000, thereare nine shops including youngpeople•fs clothing stores,miscellaneous imported goodsstores, natural food take-aways,and restaurants, as well as agallery and a terrace. These shopsare provided with low rents foryoung people and people with awish to start their own business.Many people visit the promenadeand enjoy a walk around the car-free area. Residents enjoyspending their time at PassagePromenade and along with theshop keepers, they are bringingnew life to the city.

  

Northern Intercity News 6

     

Jilin City is situated in the middle-eastern part of Jilin Province, which isin northeastern China. The city wasfounded in 1673, and was the centerof politics, economy, and culture atthe beginning of the nineteenthcentury. Before 1954, Jilin was thecapital of Jilin Province. Today thecity is known throughout China for itshistory and culture.    Jilin City is one of China’s 30largest cities. The city has jurisdictionover four districts, four county-gradecities, and one county, with a totalarea of 37,120 square kilometers, anda population of 4.35 million. The city•fsurban area is 1,755 square kilometers,and it has a population of more than1.4 million.

 Leading Industrial CityJilin City is in a transitionalgeographic region between theChangbai Mountain Range and theSongliao Plain, and the SonghuaRiver runs through the urban areain the shape of the letter ?s.? Allsides of the city face mountains,and much of it is near the river.Forty-three and a half percent ofJilin is forested, and the annualrainfall here is about 700 mm. Thecity is rich in 27 kinds of mineralresources, including gold, silver,bronze, iron, tungsten, and others,and Jilin is rich in rice, beans, andcorn. In addition, Jilin City is themain production region for the?three treasures of northeasternChina?—ginseng, marten, andpilose antler.    Jilin City has a completecategory of industries; the fourleading ones are chemicalproduction, electric power,metallurgy, and automobilemanufacturing. Paper-making,textiles, plastics, electronics,medicine, household appliances,

 

Jilin City and the Songhua River.

 Scenic Jilin CityBecause of the surroundingmountains, the Songhua River, andSonghua Lake, the urban area of JilinCity is very scenic and has become apopular tourist destination innortheastern China in both summerand winter.    In winter, the city is covered withsnow, and near the urban area, thereare world-class ski resorts—BeidahuSkiing Resort and Songhua Lake SkiResort. Along stretches of the coldriver, frosted trees known as Jilin rimeare one of the four natural wonders ofChina. Other attractions in Jilin Cityinclude the exhibition of the largestmeteorite in the world, Beishan Park,Longtan Mountain ancient city ruins,Longtan Mountain deer farm, andAladi Korean nationality folk village.All of these unique tourism resourcesprovide an excellent foundation fordeveloping Jilin City into internationaltourist city.

 An International CitySince the reformation and opening tothe outside world, the infrastructure ofJilin City has continued to developrapidly. Modern communication and

food processing, and constructionmaterials industries are also majorcontributors to Jilin•fs industrialeconomy. In addition, with theapproval of the State Council, JilinCity has constructed a High-TechDevelopment Zone in the city.    The tremendous base ofindustries and rich resourcesprovide favorable conditions forbuilding Jilin City into a modernindustrial city.

 

Winter in Jilin City: Jilin rime along theSonghua River.

transportation systems, includingnational airlines, railways, andhighways provide a very favorableinvestment environment.    Jilin City has established sister-city and economic and tradeaffiliations and relations with cities inthe United States, Canada, Russia,France, Germany, Ukraine, Japan,South Korea, and North Korea. Thefriendly cooperation and exchanges inthe fields of economy, trade, scienceand culture between Jilin City andcompatriots in Hong Kong, Macao, andTaiwan, and overseas Chinese, areincreasing day after day. 

Northern Intercity News 7

     Maardu is situated 15 kilometers fromTallinn, the capital of the EstonianRepublic. Two kilometers south ofMaardu is the Tallinn-St. Petersburghighway, which offers goodcommunication with the town ofNarva on the border with Russia. Thetotal area of Maardu is 22.7 squarekilometers.

 Maardu PeopleMaardu is seventh among cities inthe Estonian Republic in terms ofpopulation with 15,300 residents.During the summer season the

Education, Culture, Leisure,HealthMaardu has four schools: three forRussian-speaking children and one forEstonian-speaking children. There are2,766 pupils and 196 teachers at theschools.    The town has a sports complexwith a 25-meter swimming pool andother athletic facilities. There is also agood stadium and a football club withfour teams. The FC Levadia is thechampion of Estonia and representsEstonian football in the ChampionsLeague.    There is also interest here in

population increases by nearly 50percent due to the famoussummerhouses in Muuga andAedlinn, which are part of Maardu.    The population of Maarducomprises the following.youth: 3,700 or 24.5 percentable-bodied: 9,935 or 65.9 percentretired: 1,445 or 9.6 percentEstonians: 16.6 percentRussians: 56.4 percentUkrainians: 6.6 percentByelorussians: 6.4 percentOthers: 14.0 percent

 EconomyIn the industrial development ofMaardu, nearby phosphorus fieldsplayed a prominent role. Today themines are no longer functioningbecause phosphorous mining is notconsidered economically viable. As aresult, there remain in the area manyindustrial apartments and muchavailable labor power, for which it isnecessary to find a use.    The 2001 budget of the town ofMaardu is 99 million kroons. TheEstonian kroon is fixed to the Germanmark and since 1992 the exchangerate has remained at one Germanmark for eight Estonian kroons.

 Muuga PortIn 1986 the modern Muuga Portwas constructed in the northernpart of Maardu. The port is arecipient of the Euromarket-93Award and offers great possibilitiesfor the development of trade.    Muuga Port is the site of thelargest elevator in the Balticcountries (5 million tons) and alarge oil terminal. The port has itsown rail station and goods may beeasily shipped to southeast andwest European markets from here.

 

making a route for jogging and a lightski route on the territory of the formerphosphorus quarry.    Maardu has a health center, whichwas built in 1962, and which employssixteen physicians of differentspecialties. The facility has a capacityfor 111 inpatients, and it can providemedical treatment ranging from carefor common diseases to surgicaloperations by highly-educatedphysicians.

 Tourism in the Maardu AreaMaardu is a very young town withlimited historical sights. Fortunately,Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, isconveniently located nearby.Tallinn, which was founded in 1154,is easily accessible for Maarduvisitors. Among the points ofinterest in Tallinn are thirty-onemuseums, nine theaters, twelveconcert halls, twenty-four artgalleries, and twenty hotels.Downtown Tallinn is included onUNESCO•fs list of the world•fs sights.    Lahernaa National Park, awildlife reserve with rareethnographic monuments is alsonear the city of Maardu. The parkcomprises an area of 490 squarekilometers and has a 190-kilometerseaside.    Maardu is a young and emergingtown. Owing to its goodgeographical position, it has greatpossibilities for development ofindustry, trade, and tourism.    For more information, pleasecontact—Maardu LinnavalitsusKallasmaa 174111 MaarduEES TI Vabariiktel: (372) 6060702fax (372) 6060701

e-mail: maardulv@online.eewww.maardu.ee (available soon)

 

Panorama of Maardu

Northern Intercity News 8

     Ulaanbaatar, the capital ofMongolia, has a recorded history ofsome three hundred and fifty years.The term ?city? was an unfamiliarconcept in Mongolia during most ofthis period, however, and thenomadic settlement moved somethirty times after its founding in1639. Temporary locations werealong the valleys of the Orkhon,Selenge, and Tuul Rivers in north-central Mongolia. The city finallysettled in its current location in1778, when the Tea Road, theoverland trade route from Peking toSt. Petersburg, made the city animportant commercial center.    The name of the city has alsochanged a number of times. From1639 to 1706 it was known asOrgoo, from the Mongolian word forpalace. From 1706 to 1911 thename was Ikh Khuree, and from1911 to 1924 it was Niisiel Khuree.For most of this time the West knewthe city as Urga. Since October 29,1924, the name has beenUlaanbaatar, which means RedHero in the Mongolian language. 

 

    Today the city of Ulaanbaatar isthe political, cultural, economic, andtransportation center of Mongolia.Ulaanbaatar, with its internationalairport, is the junction point of thecountry•fs major roads and caravanroutes and lies on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which, since1955, links Russia with Beijing. 

The King Bird-Khangard:Coat of Arms of Ulaanbaatar

 

Population and ClimateAlmost one-third of Mongolia•fspopulation now lives inUlaanbaatar. While the city•fspopulation was only eighty-thousand in 1954, today almosteight hundred thousand personsmake their home here, two-thirds of

Ulaanbaatar TodayOver the years since 1921,Ulaanbaatar has advanced from asmall town to a modern city withdeveloped industries, trade,infrastructure, education, culture, andscience. In the area of manufacturing,industries include woolen textiles andrelated goods, leather and footwear,soap, paper, iron castings, cement,glassware, beer and spirits, andprocessed foods. Coal mined nearbyUlaanbaatar provides power.

 

Sukhbaatar Square in the heart ofUlaanbaatar is named after an independence

hero.

  

whom are children and youngpeople under the age of twenty-five.    At 1,350 meters above sea level,almost 5,000 feet, Ulaanbaatar sitsin a basin surrounded by fourmountains: Bogdh Khan, SonginoKhairkhan, Chingeltel, anBayanzurkh.    Ulaanbaatar’s climate is sharplycontinental and the city experiencesgreat extremes; temperaturesfluctuate between 38•‹ C in summerand –49° C in winter. The averageannual precipitation is only 242.7mm, and there are on average 283sunny days in the year inUlaanbaatar.

 

Northern Intercity News 9

International Association of Mayors of Northern CitiesIn 1981 the late Itagaki Takeshi, then mayor of Sapporo, proposed anetwork of northern cities to exchange information and ideas formaking winter cities more liveable. The first Mayors Conferencewas held in Sapporo in 1982. Sapporo mayor Katsura Nobuo nowserves as chairman of the International Association of Mayors ofNorthern Cities, and the Secretariat of the organization is located inSapporo City Hall.

     Sapporo is located at 43•‹ northlatitude and 140•‹ east longitude inthe north of Japan. The city has apopulation of 1.83 million, whichmakes it the fifth largest city in

    Sapporo’s culinary specialtiesinclude grilled corn, which is sold atvending wagons in Odori Park,Genghis Khan—a lamb or muttonbarbecue, and legendary Sapporo

Japan. In the year 2000, the annualmean temperature was 9.0•‹C, thehighest temperature 36.0•‹C, andthe lowest temperature–14.7°C. Sapporo enjoys fourdistinct seasons.    Tertiary industries such aswholesale and retail businesses,eating and drinking establishments,and other services are the mostprosperous in Sapporo. Recently,IT-related businesses as well astechnologies for cold and snowyclimates are being promoted here.

 

Downtown Sapporo and Odori Park

  

 

beer, which originated in the city•fspioneer days.

 Parks and NatureOdori Park, with its abundantflowers and greenery from spring toautumn, stretches from east to westthrough downtown Sapporo,offering a place for both residentsand visitors to relax. Odori Park isthe venue for Sapporo•fs YosakoiSoran Festival, which was begunten years ago, and which hasbecome the largest summer festivalin the city. Sapporo is also home tothe world famous Sapporo SnowFestival, which annually draws overtwo million tourists from both homeand abroad.    The southwest part of Sapporo ismountainous and green. Mt. Moiwaand Mt. Teine lie relatively close tothe city center and both are popularamong mountain hikers in summerand skiers in winter. In the suburbsof the city, Sapporo Art Parkfeatures outdoor sculptures, andnearby Moerenuma Park is anentire sculpture in itself.

 World CitySapporo has hosted manyinternational events such as theWinter Olympic Games, the WinterUniversiade, and the InternationalConference of Mayors of NorthernCities. The all-weather SapporoDome opened here in June and isthe venue for three games of theSoccer World Cup in June 2002. In2003, the Sapporo ConventionCenter opens here, and that willfurther increase the number ofworld-class conventions in Sapporoin coming years.

    Demonstrating its vitalcharacteristics in various fields,including sports, events, fashion,arts, culture, and tourism, Sapporois looking forward to playing aneven more active world role in thefuture.  

Northern Intercity News 10

     The tenth biennial Northern IntercityConference of Mayors in Aomori,Japan in February will mark more thantwenty years of work toward goals setout by Itagaki Takeshi when, duringhis tenure as mayor, he founded theNorthern Intercity ConferenceCommittee (NICC) in 1981.    In an interview in 1989, Mr. Itagakinoted that ?the purpose of the MayorsConference is to provide a forum inwhich urban leaders can meet toshare ideas and experiencesconcerning winter cities. We hope todeepen mutual understanding anddevelop friendly relations amongwinter urban areas, and createcomfortable and attractive northerncities.?    Mr. Itagaki said that he had alwaysthought Sapporo should set a fewtrends and assume a leadership roleby offering ideas...that would makewinter life more pleasant for us, andthat ...there is probably a lot thatnorthern cities could learn from eachother about winter city planning andwinter lifestyles.    Since the first meeting of mayors ofnorthern cities in Sapporo in 1982,cities participating in the MayorsConferences have shared informationabout topics as varied as winter

 

?The purpose of theMayors Conference isto provide a forum inwhich urban leaderscan meet to share ideasand experiencesconcerning wintercities. ? —ItagakiTakeshi, founder of theNICC

 IAMNCIn 1993 the NICC was reorganized andnamed the International Association ofMayors of Northern Cities (IAMNC).Prominent among the three objectivesset out in the organization•fs newcharter was the notion that,?Winter isa resource and an asset.? The IAMNCalso vowed to strive for thedevelopment of ?functional, efficientnorthern cities,? and to work toward?the development of an internationalsociety.? The IAMNC works in thisdirection through continued biennial

playground equipment, winter housingand architecture, the effects ofstudded tires and artificial snow onthe environment, alternatives to saltas a winter road deicer, wintertourism, and, more recently,countermeasures against naturaldisasters and snow managementtechniques.    After the first Mayors Conferencein Sapporo, the following cities alsohosted the event: Shenyang, China,1985; Edmonton, Canada, 1988;Tromsø, Norway 1990; Montréal,Canada, 1992; Anchorage, U.S.A.,1994; Winnipeg, Canada, 1996; Harbin,China, 1998; and Luleå and Kiruna,Sweden in 2000. Aomori is host of thetenth conference in 2002; and in 2004the city of Anchorage will host theevent for the second time.

 

 

Mayors Conferences, establishment ofresearch subcommittees, annualboard of directors meetings, and thesponsorship of a winter cities forumand a winter trade fair that are held inconjunction with the MayorsConferences.    Global warming was not among hisgoals when Mr. Itagaki founded theMayors Conference, but theorganization has generated warmthamong northern cities as well as stepstoward greater livability in wintercities.    For more information, please visitthe IAMNC web site at www.iamnc.org.

     In addition to its biennial MayorsConference, the IAMNC alsoestablishes, from time to time,specialized subcommittees thatstudy issues related to IAMNCgoals. The Winter UrbanEnvironmental ResearchSubcommittee was established in1990 at the fourth MayorsConference in Tromsø, Norway,and since then, six additionalsubcommittees have been founded.

 

The Subcommittee forCountermeasures Against NaturalDisasters and the Subcommittee forSnow Management are the mostrecent. Both were established atthe ninth Mayors Conference inLuleå and Kiruna, Sweden in 2000.The two subcommittees aretentatively scheduled to submitprogress reports about theiractivities at the tenth MayorsConference in Aomori in February.

 

Members of the Subcommitee forCountermeasures Against Naturual Disasters

convene in Sapporo.

 

Subcommittee forCountermeasures AgainstNatural DisastersThe third meeting of theSubcommittee for CountermeasuresAgainst Natural Disasters was held inSapporo on November 2 and 3, 2001.Delegates heard a keynote report onthe effects of the eruption of Mt. Usuin Hokkaido last year, and there werediscussions on damage from thawingsnow and flooding, issues that affectmany winter cities. It was proposed atthe meeting that not only naturaldisasters but also other disasters,including man-made andenvironmental disasters, beconsidered by the subcommittee.    The cities of Shenyang, Jiamusi inChina, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Maardu,Estonia, and Aomori and Sapporo inJapan were represented at thesubcommittee meeting.  

Northern Intercity News 11

     

 The Winter Road Association(PIARC) opens its InternationalWinter Road Congress in Sapporoon January 28. The four-dayconference will bring experts onwinter road maintenance here from

Congress ProgramThe opening session of theInternational Winter Road Congresswill feature a lecture on research oncold regions with heavy snowfallsand the global environment. Twokeynote speeches will addresssubjects related to cold and snowyregions.    The technical sessions of thecongress comprise the following sixtopics.

• Winter Road Policies andStrategies

• Snow and Ice Management andIts Costs

about 25 countries. The theme forthe congress is ?New Challengesfor Winter Road Service,? and theevent will take place at the newSapporo Dome.    Since its founding in 1909,PIARC has served as aninternational forum for issuesrelated to road use, which includespromoting communities and socialwelfare. In addition to the WinterCongresses that PIARC hosts, theorganization•fs technical committeesconduct important researchactivities.    Members of the PIARC executivecommittee will preside over aspecial session for all congressparticipants in Sapporo, the themeof which will be ?Sustainable RoadMaintenance.?    The 2002 Winter Road Congresswill be the first held in Asia, andHokkaido is an ideal venuebecause of the great snowfall here,because 98 percent of goodstransported here move via the roadsystem.

 

 

• Winter Road Issues and TrafficSafety in Urban Areas

• Environment and Energy• Telecommunications Technology• Development of Snow-Removal

and Ice-Control Technology    Persons attending the congresswill also have opportunities toobserve efforts at making Sapporoa liveable winter city, includingsnow-melting devices, the Instituteof Low Temperature Science andother related sites.

 ExhibitionAn exhibition at the new SapporoDome in conjunction with the Fuyu-Topia Fair is a part of theInternational Winter Road Congress.The exhibition will feature state-of-the-art snow removal machinery andsnow removal machinery controlsystems; equipment that aids personswith impaired mobility; hybridautomobiles; pavement materials;traffic control devices; snow-melingdevices; winter constructiontechnologies; and much more.

     ?Winter is a resource and an asset.?This slogan of the InternationalAssociation of Mayors of NorthernCities is being applied very literally innorthern Japan, where snow is storedfor use in summer months for air-conditioning. The cold, whiteprecipitation that winter driversconsider a liability serves as aneconomically efficient coolant insummer.    In Hokkaido and in northern

Aomori and SapporoThe city of Aomori, venue for WinterCities 2002 and the tenth NorthernIntercity Conference of Mayors,employs a snow-cooling system atthe Aomori Contemporary ArtCenter, site of the Northern ArtExhibition and the MayorsConference in February. InHokkaido, the city of Sapporo plans

Honshu, both cold regions with greataccumulations of snow, coolingsystems utilizing snow are beingadopted. Facilities for storing snowhave been constructed at a variety ofbuildings, where snow is used insummer for both refrigeration and air-conditioning in condominiums, socialwelfare facilities for the aged, and inother sorts of buildings.    There are two basic ways in whichsnow is used as a coolant here. In onesystem, a fan is used to circulate airthat has been chilled by the snow. In asecond system, cold air is producedby circulating a liquid similar toantifreeze through pipes embedded insnow storage tanks.

  

 

to install snow cooling systems inpark management facilities on theoutskirts of the city. In downtownSapporo, far from snow disposalsites, ways are being consideredfor using the city•fs existingunderground snow-melting poolsand snow-flow gutters as storagefacilities for snow cooling systems.    Cool air that is generated bysnow-cooling systems is naturallymore economical than electrically-powered systems. Snow-coolingsystems also provide a moderatehumidity level and produce chilledair that is gentle on both people andon plantlife.

 Environmentally SafeCoolantAt a time when environmentalissues such as global warming areof increasing concern, snow-coolingsystems are a step toward thereduction of our dependence onfossil fuels and the creation ofalternative energy. Snow-coolingcan be one of the cornerstones foran ecologically friendly northern citydevelopment that takes advantageof one of the most prominentnatural resources of cold regions.