Japanese| Japanese |
back index 
next
2. Machizukuri Organization
〈article 1、 2)〉
What is "Machizukuri Organization":
"Machizukuri Organization" is an organization composed of residents, private agency and others with an interest in the area's restoration (these contain who live outside the area) . These organizations are the heart of the machizukuri approach to post-earthquake restoration. The "Kobe System" is the form of machizukuri represented by "Machizukuri Organization" conducted mainly by residents.
Procedure of the activities of machizukuri organization:
In Kobe City most of the machizukuri organizations are formed based on existing organizations, such as self governing associations or town associations. Machizukuri board members there often serve concurrently on the boards of other organizations. Machizukuri planners and architects are dispatched to machizukuri organizations by the public agency. Kobe City subsidizes the organizations for the cost of professional assistance.
Post-earthquake activities of the machizukuri organizations in disaster afflicted urban areas:
After the Earthquake Disaster many machizukuri organizations were formed. In July 1996, the "Kobe Machizukuri Organization Liaison Conference" was formed among the machizukuri organizations in Kobe City to address problems which cannot be solved by individual organizations, or simply by information exchange among organizations.
Roles of the organizations in machizukuri for restoration and their problems:
The machizukuri organizations have played important roles in many aspects of restoration. For instance, in Mano area in Nagata-ku, Kobe, where machizukuri has been promoted for 30 years, the accumulation of experiences was turned to advantage; fires were prevented by a bucket relay by residents immediately after the earthquake; newsletters have been issued regularly, and actions have been taken for the joint reconstruction of buildings and construction of collective housing. Many other machizukuri organizations which have worked since before the Earthquake Disaster took actions earlier toward the restoration, for joint housing and to conclude a machizukuri agreement. The earlier successes of machizukuri were lessons for the machizukuri organizations formed after the Earthquake, serving as models of democratic community development.
On the other hand, there are many problems in the organizations. It is difficult to discourage illegal construction because the organization has no legal force, unlike condominium associations. Some organizations are less dynamic because of aging board members who hold many posts concurrently.
It is also difficult to keep many organizations in the project areas.
| Japanese |
back index next