Article:

Self-Assessed Positive Impacts of Area Management Organizations in Japan

Author: Misaki UENO, Motohiro ADACHI, Jun MITARAI

Abstract:

Japan is currently faced with an acute "aging society" coupled with a low birth rate, which is causing numerous social problems such as weakened local and urban communities and unattractive landscapes and environments. Depressed towns are also hindering disaster prevention. However, little attempt has been made by local governments to address this situation. There is a need to shed light, therefore, on revitalizing both "software activities," such as holding events and festivals, as well as "hardware activities," such as building new facilities and the provision of new infrastructure. In this respect, so-called "Area Management Activity" (AMA) plays a significant role in the revitalization process. AMA is defined as a method to revitalize towns and cities mainly by utilizing the private sector's power in conjunction with government. This paper conducts several empirical tests on factors associated with the (self-assessed) positive impacts of "Area Management Organizations" (AMOs) on the revitalization of towns, relying on data sets from 1,300 areas (in almost 750 municipalities) in which revitalization programs such as the Urban Renaissance Maintenance Program by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism have been instituted since 1990.

Keywords

“Area Management Activity”, Area improvement, Institutionalization of stakeholders

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