2025 Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 337-343
As the number of people involved in community development continues to decline, it is important to drive participation of citizens with initiative. In particular, the effective use of public space can serve as a means to engage a wider range of citizens in community activities. Based on a survey of visitors and exhibitors participating in the "Koganei Living" social experiment in Koganei City, this study aimed to explore ways of fostering citizens' awareness of initiative and promoting the use of vacant land by residents to create lively spaces. The first social experiment revealed that visitors had a low sense of ownership. The second experiment demonstrated that understanding the purpose of the project increased the participants' sense of ownership and led many visitors to express interest in exhibiting together with their friends. The third experiment showed that allowing visitors to temporarily take the initiative was effective in fostering a sense of ownership. Furthermore, exhibitors placed high value on interaction with visitors.
