Japan Chronicles: Discussing the Next Generation of Cultural Cities 

Osaka: Playful Plazas and the Power of Public Life 

As part of Osaka’s hosting of the World Expo 2025, civic and creative leaders were seeking to uncover what comes next for the city’s stage: how could it sustain the energy of the Expo and position the city as a lasting home for culture. 

At Demo!Play Noodle, held inside Osaka’s City Central Public Hall, Jacquelyn West, Senior Advisor for QDS Lab, joined a cross-sector dialogue of urbanists, cultural policymakers, and designers imagining Osaka’s cultural future. She spoke about the power of animated plazas and cultural programming to drive social, cultural, and economic outcomes, emphasizing that curated, inclusive public spaces build local identity, attract audiences, and inspire civic pride. 

At a complementary discussion with Namba Square’s redevelopment partners, West shared lessons from Montréal’s Quartier des Spectacles — how governance, collaboration, and data can help cities pilot and scale cultural animation while demonstrating measurable value. 

“When residents love their neighbourhood, they take care of it,” she said. “Culture can nurture that love, and data can help prove its value.” 

Tokyo: Culture as Destination Infrastructure 

In Tokyo, QDS Lab was invited by Dentsu Live to join a dialogue on cultural infrastructure and destination development with speakers from Japan, Québec, and Belgium.

West presented Montréal’s experience in building cultural infrastructure that delivers long-term returns—economic, social, and emotional. She discussed how sustained investment in creative programming fuels tourism, inclusion, and civic well-being, offering insights relevant to Shibuya’s evolution as one of the world’s most dynamic creative districts. 

Montréal: The Osaka Connection at HUB Montréal 

The exchange came full circle at HUB Montréal, where QDS Lab moderated a session titled “Deep Dive: Osaka Universal Exposition.” The panel featured Montréal studios Mirari, The Fury, and GSM Project, designers of the Canadian and French pavilions for the Osaka World Expo 2025. The discussion explored how design, technology, and storytelling can express national and urban identity—and how Montréal’s creative ecosystem continues to inform global cultural projects. 

A Global Exchange of Ideas 

Across all three occasions—Osaka, Tokyo, and Montréal—one message stood out:
cities that treat culture as essential infrastructure build stronger, more human futures. 

For Japan, these dialogues mark a readiness to align creativity with civic planning.
For QDS Lab, they reaffirm the importance of sharing Montréal’s lived expertise: how to animate a district, structure its governance, and sustain its vitality over time. 

As the expertise service of the Quartier des Spectacles, QDS Lab continues to collaborate with cities and cultural districts worldwide—helping them turn cultural ambition into urban reality. 

“Culture is not an accessory,” West concludes. “It’s the infrastructure of civic imagination.” 

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