The Global Asia Research Center holds an online workshop on shrinking cities and sustainable transition in Japan. The workshop is open to everyone. We look forwad to your participation.
Title: Shrinking Gracefully: Finding Sustainable Transitions in Declining Japanese Municipalities
Speaker: Dr. Fernando Ortiz-Moya (City Taskforce, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES))
Chair: Dr. Yoshihiro Nakano (Junior Researcher, Waseda University)
Date & Time: November 8(Mon) 2021, 16:30-18:00 (Japan Time)
Eligible participant: student, faculty member, and public
*This is online workshop. Prior registration is required by 1 November 2021 for participants from outside Waseda University. URL link for registration: https://bit.ly/shrinkinggracefully
*Inquirty: sgu.event2021 [at] gmail.com
Abstract:
Japan is shrinking. How are Japanese cities and towns adapting their policies to this new context? Local governments are struggling to identify suitable development models to address their smaller size, heavily relying on pro-growth responses seeking to halt and reverse population decline. They are tirelessly trying to lure urban migrants, increase birth rates, attract new businesses, and curb outmigration. Unfortunately, however, nationwide depopulation prevents their success. This growth-at-all-cost obsession is threatening to close windows of opportunity to manage a soft-landing while exhausting (already limited) financial resources. In this presentation, I explore the emergence of alternative approaches to standard pro-growth policies that envision ways to ‘shrink gracefully.’ By reflecting on the cases of Imabetsu Town, Aomori Prefecture, and Shimokawa Town, Hokkaido, I argue that shrinking municipalities need to break free from pro-growth strategies and find more sustainable forms of local development, bringing socio-environmental concerns to the centre of the debate.
