Challenges and Lessons Learned from Organizational Actions by Local Governments for Land Use Coordination in Disaster affected Rural Areas of Miyagi

Case of Suginoshita District and Yamamoto Eastern District

Abstract

This study explored local governments' efforts of land use coordination in the disaster affected rural areas of Miyagi, taking Suginoshita district and Yamamoto eastern district as a study area. Major challenges faced by the two districts are two folds. The first is the fact that multiple reconstruction projects have been implemented in parallel in one district, causing the issue of inter-program coordination. The other is the existence of many plots of non-agricultural land which were not purchased by a municipal government when the government implemented the collective relocation of residences. This study argued the nature of these challenges in the disaster-affected areas and how land consolidation projects could contribute to deal with these challenges.