Copyright Niigata City All Rights Reserved.Niigata City in Niigata Prefecture is known as a major rice-growing area, located in the center of the Echigo Plain between the Shinano River and the Agano River in northern Japan. As about one third of the land area in this plain lies below sea level, the city is serious about sea level rise due to climate change. This article introduces efforts in this city with a population of 800,000, seeking a smarter future for its people and the environment by undertaking significant measures to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, setting it apart from many other cities.Niigata was selected to be an Eco-Model City under a national government program in March 2013. The city developed its own action plan and aims to be "a city with a countryside-type environment" built on four basic pillars: "Transition to low-carbon transportation," "Transition to low-carbon lifestyles," "Conservation and sustainable use of the rural environment," and "Development of a smart energy city."For "Transition to low-carbon transportation," Niigata introduced a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The city's CO2 emissions per household were previously 1.5 times the national average, with about 26% of emissions coming from private vehicles. Thus, it would be impossible to limit CO2 emissions without improving public transport and without support from residents.Areas in the city center with overlapping connections of multiple lines coming in from suburb areas were integrated into BRT services, separate from the branch services from the suburbs. This integration increased service efficiency, with the resources freed up through efficiencies being allotted to provide more services in the suburbs. The BRT system helped smooth transit services in the city center and provided connections with inbound services from the suburbs at transfer stations.To achieve this city-wide integration and changes in bus services, capital investment came from the city, while bus services are operated by a private company, Niigata Kotsu Co., with the new services beginning in September 2015. The improvements in service efficiency despite no increase in bus fares halted the previous decline in ridership within a year of service launch, and in fact, resulted in a 0.8% increase year on year.The Niigata Future Point program is an initiative to "Transition to low-carbon lifestyles." People can earn points by participating in environmental activities, walking events, and the use of sports facilities, and points earned can be exchanged for bus fares, etc."Healthy life expectancy" means the number of years a person can live a normal life without nursing care or becoming bedridden, and in Niigata it is shorter than the national average. Private vehicles are the major mode of mobility for people in Niigata, who walk less than those in other areas. The Niigata Future Point program promotes health and is coupled with a points program that earns discounts in a fun way, aimed at shifting people's mobility from the private car to bus and walking.Niigata City is also involved in a demonstration project for a "cloud-based rice paddy management system" under the pillar of "Conservation and sustainable use of the rural environment," while citizens launched their own photovoltaic power plant to achieve "Development of a smart energy city." With various projects like all of these going on under the four pillars of action, Niigata City has started to move steadily toward being "a city with a countryside-type environment."Copyright Niigata City All Rights Reserved.