Abstract
The focus of this study was a residents' association that implemented continuous town-planning activities: the aim was to analyze its organizational management and characteristics such as the present status and trends of local residents engaged in the activities. We conducted a questionnaire survey of the residents' association of the old merchant town of Murakami City, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. We used the results to examine the association's present status and the characteristics and group structure of the local residents engaged in continuous activities. Seven characteristic groups were detected: three with a large number of parameters and four with a small number. Our findings enabled core members of the residents' organization, and local residents engaged in the activities, to comprehend each other's thinking, thus increasing their motivation for the activities. This study has meaningful implications as a basis for future studies of sustainability in town planning.
