IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018 - 10

WORLD VIEW |

A Global Tour of Trends

From JAPAN'S latest mascot revelation to
TORONTO'S booming office space outlook
By | Kelley Hunsberger

Meet the Mascots
Mascots are big business in Japan. Towns and
companies often compete to come up with the most
compelling character to push a region or product. It's
no surprise that the country's capital would continue
with the tradition to promote one of the biggest events
in its history: the 2020 Olympic Games. In
February, organizers announced the winning
design, which was voted on by elementary
school students across Japan and at Japanese
schools overseas. The winner was Ryo
Taniguchi, a graphic designer from Fukuoka,
Japan, who created two superheroes-a dark
blue for the Olympic Games and cherry blossom
pink for the Paralympic Games. According
to the Tokyo Olympic Committee, the designs "strove to
combine traditional values with futuristic looks, encapsulating
the 'innovation from harmony' concept, which is at the heart
of the branding vision for Tokyo 2020." The committee plans
to name the superheros before their big
debut later this year.

TORONTO,
ONTARIO, CANADA
Offices on the Rise
Office space in downtown Toronto
is booming, and there are no signs of
it slowing down, according to PwC's
2018 Emerging Trends in Real Estate.
The city's downtown vacancy rate is
the lowest among major Canadian
cities, according to the report, and
some interviewees predicted demand would
exceed supply for the next 24 to 36 months.
Much of the credit for this surge in demand goes to
the city's thriving tech industries. On top of that,
the city's-and really world's-growing coworking
culture is compounding the growth. Flexible
workplace giant WeWork, for example, recently
announced plans to increase its presence in Toronto
sixfold by 2020, bringing the number of WeWork
locations in the city to at least 20.

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GRAND RAPIDS,
MICHIGAN, USA
The Shrinking Shop
American supercenter Meijer announced plans in March
to open six small-format stores in urban locations. The
stores will focus on fresh produce and some Meijer-branded
products-a major departure from the company's usual
ware, which typically includes everything from food to clothing
to electronics. Meijer's move follows a shift happening in
much of retail: smaller footprints. U.S. retail giant Target plans
to have more than 130 small-format stores by 2019. And in
October Nordstrom opened its
first concept store Nordstrom
Local-a 3,000-square-foot
(279-square meter) space with no
inventory that is instead focused
on service. The first store, located
in West Hollywood, California,
USA, includes a nail salon, a pick
up spot for online orders, a bar,
stylists, and tailoring services.

NORTH ATTLEBORO,
MASSACHUSETTS, USA
Senior Living Gets Smaller
The Branches of North Attleboro, a new 104-unit senior living
community by Benchmark Senior Living, takes residents back
to their days in a college dorm. The layout for the new facility
comprises one private bedroom and one private bathroom
per resident, connected to a communal space that
is shared with a fellow resident. It's a smaller
footprint that encourages social interaction.
According to Senior Housing News,
it represents a growing movement in
senior living design. "As builders and
operators seek ways to stand out among
the landscape of new senior housing
options, they're pushing the envelope
further when it comes to creative
alternatives to the tried and true. In many
cases, this means units are getting smaller,
not bigger," the outlet stated.

TOKYO,
JAPAN

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Summer 2018