On the valuation of community resources: The case of a rural area in Japan

Many Japanese municipalities are currently suffering from declining populations and have responded by establishing various initiatives aimed at revitalizing their communities and stabilizing their resident populations. We argue that the success of these initiatives lies in how to effectively leverage regional community resources in ways that actually revitalize the local community, while tailoring such efforts to local social conditions. In this paper, we discuss a method of resource assessment that can contribute to rebuilding declining communities and improving the wellbeing of community residents. We use the case study of Totsukawa village in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Our results highlight five necessary elements: 1) understanding local characteristics, 2) recognizing resource relationships, 3) effectively utilizing external factors, 4) considering the balance of resources, and 5) creating a community connection. These elements are vital to preserving capitalized community-specific resources and making them profitable enough to maintain livelihoods. In developing countries, where total populations are also increasing, rural areas face population drains or shrinking younger generations. In summary, we present a methodology for conducting community-led regional revitalization projects for both developed and developing countries.