【札幌市役所】庁舎が手狭で周辺ビルに間借り“賃料年間5.8億円”…築55年で老朽化が進む 建て替えや改修が不可避に…立ちはだかる建設費高騰と市民の理解 民間と連携模索も

Sapporo City Hall, the heart of a city with a population of 1.96 million, is facing the daunting challenge of aging after more than 50 years. While renovation or rebuilding is a pressing issue, a major obstacle stands in the way. "How high will construction costs go? Should we wait, or should we do it immediately?" (Tatsuo Ishibashi, Chairman of the City Hall Building Review Committee) The soaring construction costs are a heavy burden. Is there a way to turn things around? "Combining it with commercial facilities, etc." (Katsuhiro Akimoto, Mayor of Sapporo) A city hall and commercial facilities combined? Sapporo citizens' opinions: "It has no choice but to rebuild. We'd be in trouble without City Hall." "If it can be repaired, the cost would be enormous." "It would be good to make it a facility that tourists would also visit." (Both Sapporo citizens) What will the city hall of the future look like? The Sapporo City Hall main building was completed in 1971, the year before the Sapporo Olympics. At the time, it was the tallest building in Sapporo. 55 years later, issues of renovation and rebuilding have arisen. Visiting the Health and Welfare Bureau on the third floor of the main building, I was struck by its cramped space. "Since its construction, the population has grown, the scope of work has diversified, and the number of staff has increased. The corridors have become narrower, and there are a lot of documents," (Ken Ishii, Section Chief, Policy Promotion, Sapporo City Urban Development Policy Bureau). When the current city hall was built, Sapporo's population was approximately 1.05 million. Currently, it has nearly doubled to approximately 1.96 million. Furthermore, the number of general city employees has increased by more than 1,000. "It's difficult to even pass each other. I think work efficiency will improve in the new city hall." "It's quite cramped. It's more comfortable to work in a larger space." (Both Sapporo city employees) Some departments can't fit in the cramped main city hall building, so they're renting space in five surrounding buildings. The rent for this amounts to approximately 580 million yen per year. The 19th floor is where the mayor's press conferences are held. What caught the eye here were signs of water leakage. "I think it's rainwater. With the equipment not being updated, there are quite a few equipment problems. In some major cases, the toilets are unusable." (Section Chief Ishii) Approximately 300 cases of water supply and drainage equipment problems, such as leaks due to damaged drainage pipes, have been reported in the past three years. Even more serious is disaster preparedness. Experts point out that a magnitude 6 or higher earthquake could damage the building, potentially delaying its response as a disaster prevention base. The city of Sapporo is proceeding with discussions on renovations and rebuilding, but there is a major obstacle. "Construction costs are soaring. The future of Sapporo's finances is also uncertain," (Section Chief Ishii) Furthermore, gaining public understanding is another challenge. "The city hall building itself is not a place that citizens visit often. It's difficult to get citizens to understand what the building does and why it needs to be rebuilt," (Section Chief Ishii) Unlike ward offices, where citizens frequently visit for various procedures, city hall has fewer points of contact, making it difficult to gain public understanding. Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said: "For example, we need to broadly consider various methods for fundraising, such as combining the building with commercial facilities," (Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto) They are considering various methods to reduce costs, such as combining the building with private facilities. What will the future hold for the central hub of this city of 1.96 million people?