Abstract
Today, local communities have disintegrated in urban areas. This paper analyzes, based on the results of a questionnaire and interview survey, the fact that local public cultural facilities play a vital role in fostering the spiritual culture unique to each region by forming the core of local community regeneration.
In areas with high population mobility, it is difficult to develop and sustain unique local cultures. Therefore, public cultural centers located in ordinance-designated cities and their environs in the Tokyo, Kinki and Nagoya metropolitan areas were surveyed. Annual population migration rate ((immigration + emigration) / population in the survey year) was approximately 15% in 1990, when community disintegration and community development began drawing nationwide attention and became key policy issues for the central government and local governments across Japan.
The survey found that many projects were implemented: 1) to promote interaction and cooperation among residents, which is essential for community regeneration;and 2) to nurture a culture peculiar to the region that would lead to the development of a unique spiritual culture in the region. Creating something that will evolve into a unique regional spiritual culture requires a long time to instill into the minds of the residents. Looking at the duration of the projects, 50% of 34 projects surveyed lasted more than five years.
Cultural centers should place great importance on maintaining close relationships with residents. In the case of cultural projects, considerable autonomy and discretion is exercised in planning (including content planning) and implementation. Therefore, a project’s success relies largely on the abilities of staff members who play a central role in the project.
In urban areas where distinctive spiritual culture has disappeared or been transformed, residents undertake new cultural projects to replace traditional events and activities. Public cultural centers are places for nurturing spiritual culture and conversely, help prevent disintegration of communities.
JEL Classification: H54, R51, R53, Z11
