Typological Analysis of Methods for Community Development Involving Multi-Generational Participation.

類型別にみる多世代が活躍できる 地域づくりの可能性について

Typological Analysis of Methods for Community Development Involving Multi-Generational Participation.

The author, Kondo, joined the Yamaguchi City Office in April 1992, and has since been extensively involved in community development practices at the local level, including work at the Shiraishi Community Center, Odono Regional Exchange Center, and Tokuji Regional Exchange Center. In addition, while serving in the Collaboration Promotion Division, the author participated in the institutional design of citizen–government collaborative community development initiatives, following the implementation of the Yamaguchi City Ordinance on Collaborative Community Development in April 2009.
Drawing on experience both as a municipal official and as a citizen, the author has engaged in various styles of community development. This paper introduces several practical case studies from these experiences and systematically examines them from the perspective of a coordinator. The analysis is conducted based on two key viewpoints.
The first viewpoint concerns the participation of younger generations in community development. While community development initiatives that reflect local characteristics are actively pursued across different areas of the city, their primary actors tend to be retirees from older generations, and cases in which younger generations, such as university students, play an active role remain limited. The author has long recognized this imbalance and has explored mechanisms to facilitate youth participation; this paper reconsiders these efforts through a review of past practices.
The second viewpoint emphasizes the cultivation of a sense of unity within Yamaguchi City. Despite the city's composition of 21 distinct areas, each with its own history, culture, and regional identity, and the ongoing community development efforts that leverage these characteristics, concerns have been raised that such diversity may inadvertently hinder the formation of a cohesive citywide identity. This paper also examines community development practices from this perspective.
It is hoped that this study will provide insights not only for Yamaguchi City but also for other cities facing similar challenges in community development.

Creators KONDO Yoshinori

Creators SAITO Tadashi

[EISSN]2189-4825