Establishing
Community Enterprise in Kinosaki |
| This paper examines a case of community design movements in Kinosaki, a hot spring resort in Japan. Citizens’ initiative in community design is needed because of a coming municipal merger problem in year 2005, a huge change and reorganization of governance system on a nationwide scale. Kinosaki is characteristic for having Zaisanku, which owns and manages hot springs as a profitable local asset. Family business people like traditional-styled innkeepers are involved in community design centered on tourism promotion. Participatory community design workshops have been undertaken for listing the projects for community design for the next 100 years. The process of listing the projects itself is also the process of creating new shape to the local governance. There is controversy over establishing new organizations such as a community enterprise as one of main actors in the projects. It is necessary to create new organizations and town design by citizens’ initiative, on the basis of the existing organizations. |