Local Management Project

Project Leader: Yoshinori Yamaoka, Professor, Graduate School of Social Well-being Studies, Hosei University
Since 1970's, citizens and administrative body have developed consciousness of waterfront environment in Japan, resulting to activate the movements of waterfront regeneration. Many of them aimed at conserving environment; such conservation and regeneration activities focused on waterfront, sometimes have served as the core of cultural identity, helping the formation of new communities, at the same time providing tourist and cultural industries based on historical and environmental resources. All of these factors often lead to re-energize local economies. At present, various NPO activities have been launched. Industrial cities that have been suffered from pollutions, such as Kawasaki and Minamata, are trying to revive as eco cities. Companies are actively seeking to coexist within local communities to improve their persistence.
It is our emergent task to analyze these situations from a technical standpoint, and to propose possible paths to achieve regeneration. We will make clear the effects and socio-economic or cultural meanings of revitalization of waterfront spaces for urban societies in Japan, from the viewpoints of environmental sociology, environmental economics and local business, comparing with international cases.
Local Management Project will construct a powerful methodology to achieve waterfront regeneration that meets current needs.