Every December, Giving December highlights new ways to engage with social challenges in Japan. Beyond financial donations, real estate has the potential to generate meaningful social impact through the strategic use of space and community.
As a lead partner, GOYOH is contributing to Giving December by showcasing practical, real-world examples of how real estate assets can be activated for social good—offering insights for owners and investment funds across Japan.
Five Examples of “Donating Space” in Real Estate Around the World
Moving beyond the assumption that donations are limited to financial contributions, a growing number of real estate owners, developers, and property managers are leveraging space and community as resources to address social issues.
Below are five examples from around the world that illustrate how real estate can create meaningful social impact through the concept of “donating space.”
1. TOGA × OzHarvest (Sydney, Australia)
Vacant Space Prior to Redevelopment Becomes a Hub for Food and Youth Support
Australian developer TOGA provided a commercial site scheduled for redevelopment to the food waste reduction nonprofit OzHarvest, free of charge and pending city council approval.
During this interim period, the site is being activated as a “rescue food supermarket,” where families facing financial hardship can access food at no cost. In addition, a former hotel building on the site is being repurposed as a pop-up accommodation facility for young people experiencing housing instability.
2. Mall of America (Minnesota, USA)
Providing Rent-Free Space to Support Local Businesses
Mall of America, one of the world’s largest shopping malls, launched an incubation initiative called “Community Commons” to support local businesses impacted by social unrest during the pandemic.
Through this program, the mall offered retail space to local brands—primarily BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) entrepreneurs—on a rent-free basis for the first three months, followed by a commission-based sales model. By opening part of a typically high-barrier retail environment, the mall used space as a form of contribution, enabling local entrepreneurs to re-enter the market and test their businesses.
3. Westfield Stratford City (London, UK)
Shopping centres repurposed as vaccination centres
Westfield Stratford City, a major shopping centre in east London, provided space within the mall to the NHS to accelerate COVID‑19 vaccinations. Operated by Barts Health NHS Trust, a large‑scale vaccination centre was opened on site, chosen for its strong transport links and high daily foot traffic—making it easier to reach many residents, including younger people. By converting part of the mall into medical infrastructure, the developer contributed to the social safety net during the pandemic.
4. AEON Mall Niihama (Ehime Prefecture)
Providing Parking Space for Local Festivals and Cultural Events
AEON Mall Niihama, located in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, has collaborated for many years with the Niihama Taiko Festival, a traditional local cultural event, by offering its surface parking lot as a venue for festival activities and related programs.
During the festival period, taiko floats and food trucks gather in the mall’s parking area, and events are held in partnership with local organizations such as the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce, and tourism entities. By opening its space to the community, the shopping centre creates opportunities for visitors to engage with local culture while supporting regional revitalization.
5. Shinjuku Park Tower (Tokyo)
Matching Tenant Demand with Social Welfare Initiatives
Shinjuku Park Tower used a digital platform to identify strong interest in social contribution activities among its tenant companies and employees. In response, the building offered its common areas free of charge to Chocolabo, a welfare-oriented chocolate factory, to host a sales event.
From production through on-site operations, the initiative created employment opportunities for more than 50 people with disabilities and achieved strong sales performance. At the same time, it provided a meaningful point of connection between tenants seeking social impact opportunities and welfare organizations—demonstrating how shared spaces can facilitate effective social matching.
Donations Can Take Forms Beyond Physical Space
So far, we have highlighted examples of social contributions through the provision of vacant land and shared spaces. However, opportunities to contribute are not limited to physical locations. There are other forms of donation that real estate owners and operators can pursue with relatively low barriers, enabling broader participation in social impact initiatives.
1. Donating Time and Know-How
In addition to providing space, real estate owners and operators can contribute by sharing their expertise and operational know-how. Examples include supporting safety and risk management for charity events held on owned properties, advising on spatial layout and pedestrian or traffic flow design, or providing design input for sustainability-related projects.
For NPOs and welfare organizations—many of which lack specialist knowledge in spatial planning and facility management—this type of support represents a highly valuable and accessible form of contribution.
2. Resilience-Focused Donations
Real estate assets can also support community resilience through disaster-preparedness partnerships with local governments and NPOs. Examples include entering into disaster-prevention agreements that allow properties to be used as food-truck distribution points, registering lobbies and common areas as temporary evacuation spaces, and preparing places where people can gather in times of emergency—well before a disaster occurs.
By embedding these functions into everyday operations, real estate owners can contribute to the social safety net while strengthening the resilience of the communities they serve.
3. Donating Information
Real estate owners can also contribute by using building-owned communication channels to support social initiatives. Examples include sharing information about social contribution events and donation campaigns through tenant portals, official LINE accounts, and on-site digital signage, as well as featuring NPOs and welfare organizations.
By leveraging these everyday touchpoints, property owners can help ensure that information about social contributions reaches people naturally as part of their daily routines, lowering the barrier to participation and expanding impact.
Making Donation Month an Opportunity to Move Society Through Real Estate
What are your thoughts?
Real estate—assets embedded in the places where people live and gather—has the potential to create meaningful social impact.
Let Giving Month 2025 be an opportunity to work together to foster a new culture of giving that begins with real estate.
For more information about Giving December, please visit the official Giving December website.
If you would like to learn more about GOYOH’s real estate ESG solutions—including tenant portal program management, tenant needs analysis, and social impact–focused real estate initiatives—please feel free to contact us via the GOYOH official website.