97
© The Author(s) 2020
T. Mino, S. Kudo (eds.), Framing in Sustainability Science,
Science for Sustainable Societies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9061-6_5
Chapter 5
Framing in Placemaking When
Envisioning a Sustainable Rural
Community in the Time of Aging
and Shrinking Societies in Japan
Shogo Kudo
Abstract This chapter examines the concept of rural sustainability in the time of
an aging and shrinking society. The chapter first introduces the demographic change
that Japan is experiencing, a shift from young and growing population to an aged
and declining population. Affected by this change, rural regions are facing numerous challenges affecting living conditions of individuals and downscaling socioeconomic activities at regional and communal scales. The multifunctionality
framework is applied to understand the past pattern of rural transition. This allows
to illustrate subsequent possible phases in the transition driven by an aging and
shrinking population. The chapter then provides a review of the placemaking concept, followed by one case study of a placemaking workshop called Monogatari
workshop in Gojome, Akita prefecture, Japan. This case study describes how a
group of local youth envisioned the future state of their community. The chapter
proposes a conceptual illustration of new perspective that the workshop participants gained. The illustration introduces four types of stories, which are story of the
past, story of the present, story of the future, and story of oneself. The workshop
provided the process to learn personal and collective memories of particular places
from older residents of the town. By reflecting on their stories, the participants
discussed how they would like to change the same places in the future. The workshop corresponds to the social capital component in the multifunctionality framework which emphasizes intergenerational ties. The chapter suggest the future
research should aim to link intergenerational ties to other two capital components
of the multifunctionality framework. By doing so, a vision of stable transition to
relocalized system will be established even though rural regions continue to experience aging and shrinking of population.
S. Kudo (*)
Graduate Program in Sustainability Science-Global Leadership Initiative,
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
e-mail: kudo@edu.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp
© The Author(s) 2020
T. Mino, S. Kudo (eds.), Framing in Sustainability Science,
Science for Sustainable Societies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9061-6_5
Chapter 5
Framing in Placemaking When
Envisioning a Sustainable Rural
Community in the Time of Aging
and Shrinking Societies in Japan
Shogo Kudo
Abstract This chapter examines the concept of rural sustainability in the time of
an aging and shrinking society. The chapter first introduces the demographic change
that Japan is experiencing, a shift from young and growing population to an aged
and declining population. Affected by this change, rural regions are facing numerous challenges affecting living conditions of individuals and downscaling socioeconomic activities at regional and communal scales. The multifunctionality
framework is applied to understand the past pattern of rural transition. This allows
to illustrate subsequent possible phases in the transition driven by an aging and
shrinking population. The chapter then provides a review of the placemaking concept, followed by one case study of a placemaking workshop called Monogatari
workshop in Gojome, Akita prefecture, Japan. This case study describes how a
group of local youth envisioned the future state of their community. The chapter
proposes a conceptual illustration of new perspective that the workshop participants gained. The illustration introduces four types of stories, which are story of the
past, story of the present, story of the future, and story of oneself. The workshop
provided the process to learn personal and collective memories of particular places
from older residents of the town. By reflecting on their stories, the participants
discussed how they would like to change the same places in the future. The workshop corresponds to the social capital component in the multifunctionality framework which emphasizes intergenerational ties. The chapter suggest the future
research should aim to link intergenerational ties to other two capital components
of the multifunctionality framework. By doing so, a vision of stable transition to
relocalized system will be established even though rural regions continue to experience aging and shrinking of population.
S. Kudo (*)
Graduate Program in Sustainability Science-Global Leadership Initiative,
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
e-mail: kudo@edu.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp