Reconstruction of communities through social bonds has become important for many thousands of Japanese displaced by the Great East Japan Disaster in 2011. Based on survey data, social bonds among sufferers have changed. The purpose of this paper is to inventory and clarify the common conflicts in affected communities (such as the post-disaster loss of confidence in neighbors caused by the disaster), and to explore the potential for community rebuilding, highlighting mechanisms for coping with community demise. The paper ties a case study of the disaster to previous studies of traditional Japanese mutual help networks including public aid, mutual assistance and private or self-help. Reconstruction of communities should be accomplished through a balance among the three kinds of help anchored by locally-provided mutual assistance.

This paper reconsiders the possibility of “living together in one place,” leading us to a new lifestyle as a “Smart Community.”

What is the definition of our wealth? In the past, wealth was defined by our ability to amass individual fortunes (home, car, and land ownership) to the exclusion of other individuals. However, our excessive pursuit of economic activities challenged us in living individually, a factor common to old and young alike. In the pursuit of economic growth, we have missed the wealth defined by “sharing” something with others. The following study of “sharing,” based on a hypothetical moderate dwelling, examines the potential for “Smart Communities.”

In this article, we analyze the ways by which we tackle social problems in our developed society. We focus on solutions met by recombining existent social arrangements, or redesigning society. We single out examples from redesigned medical care, public health, and nursing care by local partnerships and discuss the importance of redesigning society by changing a small number of “variables.” We draw on an example of “Local Community Areas” by architect Riken Yamamoto, illustrating how the “Public-Common-Private” triad is a key variable in redesigning communities. We also introduce a case study of medical care, public health, and nursing care partnerships in the City of Kitakyushu and find that the key variable is again the “Public-Common-Private” partnership.

The basic objective of this paper is to explore the concept of “prosperity,” which has become increasingly difficult to measure using only economic metrics, by proposing “multicultural coexistence” as the means to realizing true “prosperity.” This “multicultural coexistence” can act as a vehicle, conveying to local communities the voices of the marginalized that have long been ignored, while at the same time providing society with a valuable tool for self reflection.

In a world where globalization continues to build momentum, even in Japan, today a diverse society, local communities have been at the forefront of the movement to implement activities promoting “multicultural coexistence.” Here, the author draws on direct experience and presents multiple case studies of community building spanning a range of local residents, as examples of this society's progress toward a more mature and democratic society that is truly inclusive.

This paper analyzes the effects of compact city policy on municipal finance from the view point of sustainability. Unlike previous work, which dealt with either revenue or expenditure, this paper deals with both factors simultaneously. This is because the sustainability of municipal finance is not secure even if the municipal government reduces municipal expenditure when revenue is decreasing.

This paper strongly supports the compact city policy from the view point of municipal finance efficiency.

This study examines the effects of roofs over shopping streets, or arcaded streets, on elderly people's shopping behavior on rainy days, through a questionnaire conducted at supermarkets on arcaded and non-arcaded shopping streets. Results showed that elderly people were more inclined to go out shopping in the rain to a supermarket on an arcaded, rather than non-arcaded, street. Other factors affecting the tendency to visit a supermarket on a rainy day were the respondent's shopping frequency, mode of transportation (on foot), and reason for choosing a store (proximity to home). The effect of an arcade was larger for people in their 50s and 60s than for people in their 70s or above. Although, recently, many arcades have become old and have been removed because of high maintenance costs, these results may provide support for retaining the arcades, particularly in consideration of increasing the attractiveness of city centers for elderly people.