Hirakata City Station Area Urban Redevelopment Project Receives 2025 Japan Urban Planning Institute "Planning and Design Award"

GK Kyoto Co., Ltd. (Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture; Representative Director and President, Fūji Asada) is pleased to announce that the urban development project around Hirakata City Station, titled “Sustainable 'Town-Making Starting from the Station' through Co-creation in the Suburbs – Hirakata City Station Area Type 1 Urban Redevelopment Project and Station Area Urban Development Initiatives,” in which the company participated as a design supervision team, has received the 2025 Japan Urban Planning Institute Award, “Planning and Design Award.”

Overview

This project is an urban development centered on urban redevelopment, aiming to accumulate diverse functional facilities suitable for a station-front space and create an attractive urban environment around Hirakata City Station, the gateway to Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture.
The area is divided into three construction zones, and to comprehensively develop the station area and the redevelopment project, related businesses have collaborated to advance the project.

Our company participated as a member of the design supervision team, involved in the total design for the entire construction area and initiatives toward realizing sustainable area management.

The “Planning and Design Award,” which was received this time, recognizes works that have made significant contributions to the progress and development of urban planning, among recent initiatives related to urban planning, design, and projects.

Project Development Scheme

Design Management Supporting Sustainable Town-Making

The design supervision team played the role of design coordinator among various businesses, including the administration, in regular design supervision meetings to achieve consistent total design.
Furthermore, we participated in symposiums and workshops organized by the Hirakata HUB Council, which leads area management, and focused on initiatives to create new value (Kotozukuri) to connect to future sustainable town-making.
These initiatives are compiled as design guidelines to connect to the future vision of the Hirakata City Station area.

Within the supervision team, GK Kyoto and GK Sekkei were mainly involved in formulating design codes (arrangement, layout, color, form, material/texture) for the redevelopment building, as well as designing signs and street furniture (resting facilities in public squares).

Left: Design Supervision Meeting, Top Right: Design Adjustment through Pilot Construction, Bottom Right: Workshop Scene

Signage Design Deployed Across the Entire Redevelopment Area

Japan Urban Planning Institute 2025 Award "Planning and Design Award" Summary

Award Name: Planning and Design Award

Project Name: Sustainable "Town-Making Starting from the Station" through Co-creation in the Suburbs – Hirakata City Station Area Type 1 Urban Redevelopment Project and Station Area Urban Development Initiatives

Recipients:
Hirakata City Station Area Urban Redevelopment Association (General Business Agent: R.I.A. Co., Ltd.)
Keihan Holdings Co., Ltd.
Obayashi Corporation
Hirakata HUB Council (Hirakata LOOP Executive Committee)
Design Supervision Team (Kōichi Kana, Nikken Sekkei Ltd., GK Kyoto Co., Ltd., GK Sekkei Co., Ltd.)

Reasons for the Award (original text)

This project in the Hirakata City Station area, Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture, is a project that has achieved comprehensive development, leading to an improvement in area value through the establishment of multi-functional and complex urban infrastructure, enhancement of pedestrian circulation, and creation of public square spaces. Not only landowners and the redevelopment association, but also diverse stakeholders such as railway companies, the city hall, and local residents have collaborated in their respective capacities to advance the project. It is an excellent example of urban development studded with contemporary values, such as total design by the design supervision team and the establishment of preparatory organizations responsible for area management. Data also supports that it has contributed to regional revitalization, including an increase in foot traffic around the station, high occupancy rates of rental residences, and increased local circulation. The unique project scheme, which spans the Urban Planning Act and the Urban Renewal Act, and the multi-scale design guidelines are considered highly valuable references for future urban development centered around suburban station areas, thus deemed worthy of the Japan Urban Planning Institute's Planning and Design Award.

◎Related Links

・List of Award-Winning Works | Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, The City Planning Institute of Japan Official Website
https://www.cpij.or.jp/com/prize/award/list.html
・Town-Making Starting from the Station with the Power of Design Hirakata City Station Redevelopment Project | Keihan HD
https://www.keihan.co.jp/corporate/business/hirakatashi/report/vol4.html

GK Kyoto Co., Ltd.

"Compass-Type Design Firm" that Thinks Together and Creates the Future Together

GK Kyoto aims to be a design firm that acts as a compass for the challenges faced by clients and society through the power of design in a broad sense.
At the conceptual stage, we clarify what is to be achieved by visualizing thought processes and ideas, deepening insights with clients, and vividly depicting a future that evokes empathy.