The future is ever-changing. The world population is experiencing both growth and decline, leading to global risks such as pandemics and international conflicts. Additionally, the climate crisis is connected to various social issues and challenges, including intensified disasters, food problems, and energy issues. Meanwhile, our society is shifting towards values that embrace digital tool advancements, well-being, individual freedom of choice, and living in the moment.

These changes apply to Japan as well, where societal issues like declining birthrates and an aging population make the future harder to foresee. Against this backdrop, NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting Inc's "Social Design" envisions the form of a desired, ideal, and necessary society from perspectives such as 1) people-centered design, 2) future design, and 3) co-creation design. For instance, our "People-Centered Social Design Method Pascal 1.0," which compiles our past efforts and experiences, emphasizes these three perspectives while outlining a path to a foresight-driven future.
 
We cherish the approach of collectively creating the path to an ideal future, valuing the journey to get there.

Human-Centric Design
We explore and propose mechanisms to solve social issues by approaching human activities and behaviors, based on methodologies used in fields such as behavioral economics, ethnology, architecture, and urban planning. This approach facilitates the transformation of these behaviors to address societal challenges.

Future Design
We engage in processes such as understanding current and near-future trends, future forecasting, and future insights to collaboratively envision the desired and necessary futures. Additionally, we conduct bottleneck analysis and identify issues like ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications) to develop backcasting strategies and plans towards realizing these futures.

Co-Creation Design
Solving societal challenges requires the participation of diverse stakeholders and the creation of strategic and planned platforms for discussion. At NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting Inc, we design the process of realization, including project formation that fosters collaboration and creative compromise, to facilitate improvement and reform. This approach aims to clearly and concretely generate social impact.

• Creation of Social Impact: We are committed to solving social issues and generating positive effects. We are driving social transformation in areas such as:

・Food and Sustainability

・Resilience

・Regional Revitalization

• Innovation Generation: Innovation is not just about technology. By introducing new approaches, methods, and participation techniques, we bring about qualitative changes and advancements.

Creation of NTT Data's Future Insight White Papers

• Medical and Healthcare
• Disaster Prevention and Resilience

Publication: WEDGE ONLINE
Title: Urban Planning with Backcasting Thinking from Future Insights - Visualizing Well-being and Drawing a Human-Centric Future