Land Banks in Ohio State are legalized in a county level, based on experiences of those in Michigan State. They are non-government and non-profit organizations with board of directors including top management of county and municipality governments. The major financial resource for daily operation is delinquent tax and assessment collection fund given by county governments, which is one of their specific feature. Land banks in Ohio State strategically acquire properties through not only traditional judicial system but also administrative one unlike those in Michigan State and return them to productive and tax paying use. In addition to tax delinquent properties, land banks of Ohio acquire foreclosed properties from Housing and Urban Department, Fannie Mae, and large private banks. Nevertheless, their business is not sustainable due to delay of recovery of property market. Continuity of external financial resources for demolition is another big concern.

In this research,we focused on Yokohama Shiranedai, which is involved in local people for the greening community development. We aimed to find out the local people consciousness and its effectiveness in participating in the local greening community development. The research showed that the interaction of their neighbors influences the consciousness in the local greening community development. Therefore, to increase the effect of this greening community development, the local young generation's help is necessary.

This study focuses on community activities of inhabitant organization and organization structure about problems of suburban housing complex. We analyzed community activities for Wakabadai housing complex in Yokohama, and clarified revitalization factors. As a result, the core organization takes important roles in most commune and we can see many types of collaborative relationships that each organization makes full use of the characteristic and advantage of the organization each other.

Photographs toward the upper and the lower streams were taken at intervals of 100m from the intakes through the ends of main canals of Ooide-yosui and Horikawa-yosui, both of which had their origins before modern times. The photographs were traced and analyzed about the elements and the compositions of the scenes. About the photographs taken at the intakes, the comparative analyses of the composition of weir bodies, river channels, and clusters of summits were made, and it became clear that the weirs' locations and forms rational for stable water intakes had appeared in the scenes as common features. Moreover, about the photographs along the main canals, the analyses of the composition of channels, clusters of summits, rice fields, and diversion facilities were made, and it was shown clearly as common features that the ways of watering corresponding to topography had appeared in the scenes.

The purpose of this study is to clarify areas of evaluation according to rambling activities by visitors in Town Center district of Kohoku New Town. We conducted questionnaire survey to grasp visitors attributes and areas of evaluation. As a result, the evaluation of commercial functions in Town Center district is lower than other commercial districts. In addition, it became clear that visitors of non-rambling activities in Center South district aren't satisfied with the commercial functions. To activate the Town Center district, it's necessary to be enhanced the commercial functions.

This study was made to grasp of visitors' rambling activity and to find out promoting factors about rambling activity at Kohoku New Town. We make a survey of visitors attribute and something of the purpose in the city moreover compare two districts in Kohoku New Town. As a result, we can reveal difference that purpose of use of a shopping district.We examined the factors for the rambling activities by discriminant analysis on the basis of the above results.

Today, so called 'a community cafe' is paid attention as a base of community activities to solve community issues. Community cafe has a problem of its continuity and some community cafes give up their management soon after opening. The purpose of this study is to examine essential condition for continuous management of a community cafe. Community cafes in Yokohama and Kawasaki city are case studied. Through interviews with the cafe owners and cafe staffs, and questionnaire survey to, users, following conditions are identified: (1) Staffs understand purposes of the community cafes and sympathize with them, moreover they work with feelings of pleasure, (2)Have fixed income source other than cafe business, (3) Not to over-expand activities.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, many municipalities reviews theirs disaster-prevention measures. What is attention, it is evacuation building of Tsunami. The evacuation building defines by Cabinet office in 2005, but it was not effective Great East Japan Earthquake. So, it was problem of suitability selection, but not discuss on after the disaster. This research is analysis of evacuation building defining by Cabinet office.

Kyoto is a tourist city where 50 million tourists visit annually. In case an earthquake occurs in the daytime at Kiyomizu-Gion area where is most popular tourist site, it would not be possible to evacuate all the affected people including tourists to the officially designated evacuation places. This study aims to explore the possibility of utilizing temples and shrines at Kiyomizu-Gion area in Kyoto at the time of earthquake disaster. After estimating and comparing the number of evacuees and the capacity of the precinct of temples and shrines, it was confirmed that temples and shrines has sufficient capacity to accommodate. Interviews to the manager of temples and government officials of Kyoto city revealed their awareness and preparation about utilization of the temples and shrines in disaster. Questionnaires to the tourists discovered their evacuation behavior in earthquake disaster and their concerns about using temples and shrines as evacuation shelter.

In Kumano River basin, there are small houses called agariya as emergency shelters at the time of flood located on the hill. The purpose of this study is to define the actual situation of agariya at Ukegawa district, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture by interviews and surveys. The study shows that agariya can be classified into two types. One is landowners and merchants started to build them after the flood disaster occurred in 1889. They are furnished with the kitchen and the bed room for temporary evacuation life. Another one is public house, constructed for victims after 1953 flood, was converted into agariya after they paid off the debts. Usage of agariyas have changed over time as rented houses or a house for elderlies. Even enough many agariyas have been teardown, there are seven agariyas remaining in this district and they are even now useful when flood disasters occur.

This study investigates the cause and effect of making “neighborhood safety maps,” as a tool to make it easier for participants to learn about crime prevention. The results show that learning about crime prevention could be improved by making neighborhood safety maps, and by appropriate communication between young people and adults. This information is useful for people who are planning to make neighborhood safety maps in the future. A partnership, such as the one with university students, is indispensable in stimulating communication between young people and adults about crime issues in a local area.

In future, with the increasing importance of sustainability and progress of the decentralization, independence in environmental asset will become an issue for the local government. A city that is able to balance human activity and environmental asset in particular area may have a possibility to be “a city to subsist for the longest time”. This study is made to quantitatively indicate the cities' present state and potential improvement of environmental balance, with the Ecological Footprint. The object is local central cities. As a result, it is revealed that most cities could not achieve the complete environmental balance. In addition, it is shown that some cities are able to be “a city to subsist for the longest time” by environmental load reduction measure in a view point of self-sufficient.

In 1993, the Complex of Hue Monuments was registered as the UNESCO World Heritage, where many people as squatters' communities already have been living in the citadel, even on the ramparts after Nguyen dynasty. The Vietnamese government has announced the clearance policy many times, however they implemented it only in few parts and local people still continue to live on the ramparts. This paper examined their unique living environment and special structure using the features of rampart construction, in order to find the appropriate way between city development and conservation in Hue citadel of central Vietnam.

After Doi Moi in 1986, cities in Vietnam have been urbanized rapidly. In Hue, there is an urban redevelopment plan to further develop and maintain the traditional loyal culture recorded world heritage by UNESCO. The purpose of this research is to consider the conservation of civil culture held in the small alley community, "Xom", focusing on the traditional Mid-autumn Festival. Through the field and questionnaire surveys, I classified the small alley community ”Xom” and examined current situation of Mid-autumn Festival in Xom and variety of management group of that festival. Xom and Mid-autumn Festival mutually compliment each other forming on unified integrity: the small alley community plays an important rule for the conservation of civil culture.After Doi Moi in 1986, cities in Vietnam have been urbanized rapidly. In Hue, there is an urban redevelopment plan to further develop and maintain the traditional loyal culture recorded world heritage by UNESCO. The purpose of this research is to consider the conservation of civil culture held in the small alley community, "Xom", focusing on the traditional Mid-autumn Festival. Through the field and questionnaire surveys, I classified the small alley community ”Xom” and examined current situation of Mid-autumn Festival in Xom and variety of management group of that festival. Xom and Mid-autumn Festival mutually compliment each other forming on unified integrity: the small alley community plays an important rule for the conservation of civil culture.

The Sichuan Earthquake that occurred in 2008, devastated Qushan Town, the former Beichuan County seat, destroying 80% of the buildings. The central government decided to give up on-site reconstruction of Qushan, and the affected citizens were relocated to Yongchang: a newly constructed city established in a geologically safer area 24 km south of the original town. The study focused on the decision-making process by examining official reports, and analyzed its relationships with overall restoration plans. As a result, it was discovered that the relocation plan was heavily influenced by the overall restoration plans and pre-existing land-use planning policies in China. Additionally, several issues were discovered through field investigation such as the disharmony of urban functions and the lifestyle of locals, the social decline in some districts due to the excessive large-scale urban planning, and regional disparity due to the difference in the scale of assistances.

The Kathmandu Valley, where is located nearly the center of Nepal, was listed as a wolrd heritage site owing to its cultureal specificity—2000 years' lively Newar culture. Buddhist monastery has an intimate relationship with Newar Buddhism which is developed independently in Nepal. It is also considered as a "living heritage" which still holds a variety of local gathering regional events. This study identifies and reveals the ideal way to maintain the lively cultures which are the inheritance of Buddhist monastery and the management body of monastery called Sangha, due to the relationship of the change of the monastic management (according to the decrease of Buddhism’s influence) and the preservation of the Buddhist monastery.

In Japan, in late years, there are many art projects to take a role which is the community development. In the Europe, the art project to raise their conscious of the community development is rare, but at Bologna in Italy, the art project like this was begun in 2013. It is name ARTCITY. Then,I investigate and report it.