Tokyo, October 29, 2021 -- Mori Art Museum, Academyhills operated by Mori Building Co., Ltd., and the Mori Memorial Foundation's Institute for Urban Strategies announced today the schedule for Innovative City Forum (ICF) 2021, an international forum held annually to consider new possibilities for urban designs and lifestyles based on the fundamental question "What will our lives be like 20 years from now?" ICF 2021 will take place both in person at Roppongi Academyhills (49th floor, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower) and online, from November 22 to 25.

Since 2013, ICF has brought together leading scientists, researchers, engineers, artists, designers, corporate managers and journalists from diverse fields, both from Japan and abroad, to discuss their visions of lifestyles in the future and the cities that will serve as the foundations of such lifestyles. In total, 409 speakers and nearly 16,000 people have attended the annual forums.

In this ninth edition of ICF, the speakers will consider the theme "Alternative Visions -Contemplating a New Future, Now" by examining contemporary lifestyles and kind of future that will be possible following the pandemic. The keynote address will be delivered online by noted historian Dr. Emmanuel Todd, who has used demographic data to predict major events in history including the collapse of the Soviet Union, Britain's exit from the European Union and the birth of the Trump administration. He also is the author of the best-selling book "After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order."

The ICF 2021 agenda will also include joint sessions involving personnel from the Japan Science and Technology Agency Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (JST, RISTEX), Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) and the Tokyo leisure publication Time Out Tokyo, as well breakout sessions in which experts from fields including art, tourism, economics and technology will meet in person to discuss their visions of the future.

Mori Building collaborates with leading research institutes, universities and enterprises to jointly research urban concepts, often by using Roppongi Hills and other Hills-brand urban complexes as test platforms. Mori Building is committed to exploring possibilities for ideal cities and lifestyles and pursuing urban development that leads to new innovation, ultimately to contribute to Tokyo's magnetic power as a major global city.

Innovative City Forum 2021 Event Outline

  • Dates: Monday, Nov. 22 - Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021
  • Format: In-person and live talks with Japanese-English simultaneous interpretation
  • Fee: No charge for online viewing but pre-registration is required at http://icf.academyhills.com
    (in-person attendance on Nov. 25 by invitation only)
  • Organizers: Institute of Urban Strategies, The Mori Memorial Foundation, Mori Art Museum and Academyhills
  • Co-organizer: The Japan Foundation Asia Center
  • Collaborators: Japan Science and Technology Agency Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (JST, RISTEX) and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU)
  • Media partner: Time Out Tokyo
  • General Support: The Japan Foundation, DENTSU YOUTH STUDY, International House of Japan, Culture Vision Japan, and Japan Association of New Economy
  • Gov't. support: Embassy of Japan in France and Institut français du Japon
  • Official website: https://icf.academyhills.com/en/ (launching soon)
  • YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/InnovativeCityForum

Please refer to the PDF file for more information.