Yu Ishida, Chairman, Urban Renaissance Agency (UR Urban Renaissance Agency)

Changing towns and creating people's lives and futures

Chairman, Urban Renaissance Agency (UR Urban Renaissance Agency)　石田優　(Masaru Ishida)

■ Profile
Born May 2, 1962, from Kyoto Prefecture, 62 years old
March 1986: Graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo
April 1986: Joined the Ministry of Construction
July 2018 Director, Housing Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
June 2022 Vice-Minister of the Reconstruction Agency
November 2023: Advisor to Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.
April 2020 Chairman, Urban Renaissance Agency, Independent Administrative Agency (current)

The Urban Renaissance Agency (UR) is responsible for rental housing, urban regeneration, and reconstruction, and operates under the philosophy of "Renaissance in Cities." Chairman Ishida Masaru promotes urban development that makes use of culture and human connections, with the perspective of "overcoming social issues." We spoke to Ishida, who is creating new value in housing by utilizing housing stock from the 40s and collaborating with MUJI, about his thoughts on urban development and his vision for the future.

During my first and second years at university, I was quite free to do what I wanted. I enrolled at the University of Tokyo and served as a director of the university's co-op, but a particularly memorable experience was planning and running a skating festival co-hosted by four universities. I was involved in a wide range of planning, including an on-ice disco, figure skating demonstrations, and sales of meat buns and heating pads, and the event was a huge success. This was before social media, so I also distributed flyers, created billboards, and hand-written announcements for billboards. The experience of working with my friends through trial and error, with the spirit of "doing what we want to do," remains with me to this day.

■ I want to do work that leaves a lasting impression

I started thinking about my future career path in my third year. My father ran a small business in Kyoto, so I had the option of taking over the family business. However, I had a strong desire to do work that would leave a lasting legacy, so I chose to become a national civil servant. I then joined the Ministry of Construction (now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), where I became involved in urban development, including housing, urban development, and reconstruction. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's work mainly involves creating systems. Although I don't directly build buildings, by improving social systems I can support the lives of many people.
I decided to join UR after retiring from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and working for Tokio Marine & Nichido. When I heard about a public recruitment following the retirement of the previous UR chairman, I decided to apply.
At UR, I get involved from the very beginning, thinking about the foundations and concepts of a town. I get the feeling that I am directly involved in town development, and my initial desire to do work that leaves a lasting impression is still connected to where I am today at UR.

■ Thinking from the perspective of the entire town

Currently, UR focuses on three core businesses: rental housing, urban renewal, and reconstruction. One particularly distinctive feature is its self-sustaining financial structure despite being a quasi-public organization. UR operates under a self-sustaining management structure. This requires flexible management like a private company, while also assuming social responsibility. In its rental housing business, UR utilizes approximately 70 housing units to create an environment where diverse residents, including seniors and foreigners, can live safely and securely. By attracting welfare facilities to its housing complexes and planning events to maintain the community, UR offers value beyond just "living." Furthermore, in the field of urban renewal, UR emphasizes "involvement from the conception stage" rather than simply constructing buildings. In the Umekita district of Osaka City, UR collaborated with the Osaka Prefectural Government, City Government, and private companies to nearly complete a project in which it was involved from concept development. Regarding reconstruction, UR has also worked to revitalize areas affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Great East Japan Earthquake. Reconstruction does not end with simply rebuilding buildings. In order to attract residents and revitalize the area, it is important to protect local industries and culture.

■Renaissance in the city - Future urban development

The UR logo features the words "Renaissance in the City."
This is not just redevelopment, but represents the philosophy of going beyond social issues to create new value. For example, there is still room for improvement in Japanese office buildings, both in terms of the hardware that comes with the information age and in terms of how they can accommodate diverse work styles. As AI advances, there is a demand for spaces where people can interact in real life. We believe it is important to create spaces that naturally foster communication, such as connecting the external circulation of buildings with parks and incorporating greenery into offices, which will make it easier to generate new ideas. This cannot be achieved by individual buildings alone, but needs to be considered as a city as a whole.
Furthermore, utilizing existing rental housing stock is also an important issue. With the supply of new construction declining, the question of how to utilize existing housing stock dating back to the 40s is being raised. We're collaborating with MUJI on a project to renovate rooms with sliding doors and tatami mats to suit modern lifestyles. We also collaborate with universities to solicit ideas for new living styles from students. For example, we held a "renovation competition" for students from Kyushu Institute of Technology using UR rental housing as a field, and we are creating ideas that meet actual needs, such as pet-friendly homes and housing complexes with dog runs. UR's goal is sustainable urban development that is tailored to the unique characteristics of each region. To achieve this, we need people who can "have their own ideas while also being able to cooperate with others." It's important to have your own passion while also being able to understand other people's opinions. Social issues are complex, and there is no single correct answer. That's why we want to work with people who have diverse perspectives and value horizontal connections.

■Message to university students

I want to convey that the skills required in today's society are changing. Social conditions are becoming more chaotic, and the ability to face problems that have no right answers is now required. To achieve this, it is important to have passion while also having the empathy to understand the opinions of others. I hope that people will take on the challenge of solving social issues while valuing connections between people. I sincerely hope that young people who will be responsible for the future will be active in this field, with a passion for urban development.

Interview with Suzuki Junki, a fourth-year student at Nihon University, published on November 21, 2025 by Student Newspaper Online

Junki Suzuki, 4th year student at Nihon University