In this study, an investigation of the rural community plan based on the People and Nature Coexistence Zones in Kobe City is conducted. The study area is the Oka rural village, which is a suburban rural village, in Kita Ward, Kobe City. This study aims to clarify the situation and characteristics of the succession of a family and agriculture focusing on generation change, as well as the characteristics and relationship between succession and rural management. The results of a questionnaire answered by the officials of a residents’ association, representatives of current generation, and the next-generation successors are analyzed, resulting in three findings: (1) The succession from the current generation to the next generation is diversified in comparison with the succession of the family and agriculture from the previous generation to the present generation. (2) Differences in generations and stability regarding the continuance of the family affect the residents’ intentions in rural farming and management. (3) The residents are trying to lay the foundation for the maintenance and management of the rural villages without burdening the next generation, with the farming association as the central figure.

The objective of this work is to compare the apparent thermal characteristics of ten different types of bi-layered materials using the hot disc technique. In this paper, bi-layered material refers to the components of a floor that consist of structural board and finishing materials; both are considered mainly wood-based materials. The result showed the influence of the thermal conductivity of the finishing material was dominant, but in some samples the presence of the air layer on the back side of the finishing material caused a decrease in thermal conductivity of the whole bi-layered material.