ZEMCH 2019 International Conference Proceedings April.2020 | Page 79
Exploring Combined Opportunities of a Third Place
on Social Community Engagement in Japan:
Kaminagao Terrace Case Study
Kohei Yamada 1 , Ken Shibata 2 , Naoki Tsurusaki 1 and Masa Noguchi 3*
Graduate School of Human Environmental Studies, Kyushu University, Japan
Division of Architecture, Faculty of Science and Technology / Graduate School of Engineering, Oita
University, Japan
3 ZEMCH Lab, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, Affiliation, The University of Melbourne,
Japan
* Correspondence: [email protected]
1
2
Abstract: In Japan, the overall population is decreasing. The number of senior residents in the country
has been on the rise, estimated at almost one quarter of the population. On the other hands, the
birthrate of children is decreasing nationwide. These socio‐demographical circumstances might
contribute to increasing the vacant rate of existing houses particularly in rural areas; thus, they help
widen the economic void in Japan. Accordingly, the local community is diluting in terms of the
population and associated economic and social activities. In order to cover and/or increase the regional
populations in Japan, it is necessary to establish a system that helps keep the existing local residents
not to leave and accelerates the number of migrants. Then, a question arises: how do rural
communities in Japan develop the system to maintain the substantial populations that affect local
economy and social engagement activities? Accordingly, in order to understand the process of
creating the community system, this study selected a community based in the outskirts of the Fukuoka
city, particularly the area around the Kaminagao Terrace building, which was used to be an abandoned
vacant two‐story house. In this case building, Do‐It‐Yourself (DIY) activities were utilized for the
housing refurbishment, in which anyone inside and outside the community can participate. First, it
documented the building conditions and DIY activity and second, personal interviews and
questionnaires were distributed to the owner and users to investigate the stakeholders’ profiles and
reasons of participation between 1 st October and 31 st December 2018. This study found the significance
of a neutral social space (or third place) and opportunity that third persons who are not related directly
to the project can also join. In fact, in this community studied, DIY activity served as the opportunity
that attracted residents inside and outside the community and the Kaminagao Terrace building
refurbished through the DIY actions was transformed into the third place of social engagement.
Keywords: Japan, Social Economy Development, Third Place, DIY
Exploring Combined Opportunities of a Third Place on Social Community Engagement in Japan:
Kaminagao Terrace Case Study
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