A study on actively community-based environmental town planning toward sustainable communities

A case study on the Eco-community program in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan

Abstract

Sustainable development was designated as an international priority at the Earth Summit in 1992. Agenda 21, an action plan for sustainable development formulated at the summit, encouraged local authorities to address sustainable development at the local level and implement initiatives to develop sustainable communities through community participation. In Nishinomiya city, Japan, the local government introduced education for sustainable development (ESD) programs in the late 1980s to promote community participation and sustainable community development. This paper identifies some of the key elements necessary for promoting actively community participation to develop a sustainable community by reviewing initiatives currently in place in Nishinomiya.