The establishment of “Neighborhood Councils” in US :

New community organizations from view point of citizen participation to “public planning”

Abstract

Japanese localities and local governments are currently facing the drastic change such as NPM and the shift “from local government to local governance” as other industrial countries. The recent comparative joint-research for the establishment of local governance in European and the US (B. Denters & L. E. Rose 2005), indicates the mainstream methods for efficient governance structures as follows: [1] improvement of elections for efficient citizen intention, [2] Round Table among sectors (such as Compact in each local government in England), [3] accommodation ofe-government plan for enhanced citizen invovlement, [4] establishment of advisory board by the public in the process of making Comprehensive plan of each sity, [5] the community-based decision-making process (devolution to communities).
Based upon theseissues, this article delimeates, how would be the decision-making system in which community-organizations commit or are involved for the public service on the communities.
(1) Community Planning and new types of community organizations in US
In the major cities such as Dayton, Pittsburg, Tacoma, they have developed “authorized” neighborhood councils since 1970's and 1980's, we confirmed the following four points for verifying how institutional supports for residents' decision making is built and authorized: [1] Purpose, [2] Organizing of neighborhoods (structure, range etc.), [3] Supporting system by the city (such as coordinator officials), [4] Participation in Decision-making process (Neighborhood Plans made from area citizens, Budget, Written advice to city council).
(2) Case study - Seattle City (WA)
On concrete case of Seattle City, the aspects concerning neighborhood-based decision-making system were analyzed (Background of Neighborhood Planning Program, authorized citizen's 13 “District Council”s, authorized citizens' “City”-wide Councils, 37 Planning citizen's committees for Neighborhood Plans). Through the analysis two issues were presented. [1] Through the 13 district council system that is authorized by city ordinance and of which representatives are elected through voting by neighborhood citizens, it is officially the official recognition that the district councils are the representative authority consisting of neighborhood citizens. [2] Making of “Neighborhood Plans” provides the community-citizens actual opportunity taking part in the community planning. (each Neighborhood plan is going to be adopted to the one part of comprehensive plan after city council approves). neighborhood based decision-making on neighborhood base is preserved with [1] and [2] processes in the case of Seattle City.
Social experiments have recently been undertaken in Japan, athough there have been remaind the traditional usual block association “Chonai-Kai”. Since 2000 due to the cities-merger policy promoted by Japanese Central Government, some cities has tried to make the district unit (“Chiiki-Jichi-Ku”). Joetu (Niigatga) City tried community voting systems within the district unit. Japanese case is a very prototype, but the international comparative studies on these issues should be further developed and become important for hereafter years.