ガバナンス論としての創造都市の可能性と実現のプロセス

―熊本市での取り組みを事例として―

抄録

    This essay has two aims. First, I intend to organize the key points relating to “the creative city”, which have been presented in various ways, in order to provide the insight as to how the concept should be understood. I also intend to focus on and discuss the governance of, and process in, a creative city and further to examine the movement to a creative city in Kumamoto city as an example.
    A creative city is, to put it simply, explained as a vision of a city or urban policy, which aims to stimulate and enhance creativity in a city and uses it for the purpose of solving various urban problems, invigorating local communities and pursuing economic growth. However, the concept of a creative city is not strictly defined and therefore as a matter of practice allows for various interpretations. This essay considers the meaning of “the creative city” within the context of cities in today's advanced countries and regards the concept as a kind of “governance theory” of a city. Because the concept has an idealistic assertion about governance, that is, governance by civic creativity, we find different types of governance in practice. We therefore have to examine how it should be viewed from the more practical standpoint which accommodates the unique situation an individual city is in.
    Second, this essay considers the requirement needed for the governance of the creative city and outlines five important factors. Among these is the concept of network organization as a relevant governance form. The essay also pays particular attention to dynamic aspects of a creative city and regards it as a process of a city's self transformation, which involves the theory of self-organization. Some difficulties might be found in the application of the theory, yet it can help explain how the creative activities of individual actors affect the community as a whole. If an individual actor affects other actors by its creative activity and then a “sympathetic vibration” is born among actors, it would lead to changing local community. The essay goes on to examine the movement in Kumamoto city in order to witness the possibilities and potential problems by focusing on the process of community development pursued by the creative activities of private actors.