2010 Volume 8 Pages 117-137
This paper studies the relationship between the residence groups and the policy switch of the municipality in a case study of “South Ikuno District Project” in Osaka City.
This district has a variety of problems in terms of disaster prevention and residential environment. The examples are narrow alleys, insufficient parks and open spaces, and the mix of residences, business and industries in the same area. In addition, lowquality wooden apartments and old tenement houses built before the Second World War are crowded together.
The city of Osaka designates this district as a leading model for urban redevelopment and aims to improve the overall disaster prevention capability of the area by ensuring adequate public facilities and promoting the building of fireproof structures.
The design calls for a variety of measures to be combined under the Comprehensive Improvement Project for Urban Housing Districts and the Blighted Residential Area Renewal Project. Discussions have been held with residence groups regarding concrete projects.
However, the process of the collaboration between the administration and residence groups was not smooth because many local residents have complex interests in each project.
The study clarifies empirically the relationship between residence groups and the policy switch of a municipality in the Urban Development based on the actual conditions that residence groups have accomplished.
This empirical study about this case identified two points; the existence of residence groups is not negative, but developable fluidly according to the activity of inhabitants, and the administrations recognize the necessity of the flexible management of the residents and switch from a traditional policy to a new one.
This study shows that the residence groups in the district created the unprecedented results after a process of trial and error. Furthermore, it clarified that the residence groups became the main constituent of Community-Based Management, which is different from the advanced cases in other districts.
