Decline and approaches to revitalization in small cities: the case of Saga, Japan

Abstract

The study of urban geography has primarily focused on large cities, but geographic trends affecting smaller urban areas also merit the attention of researchers. The local economies of smaller municipalities in Japan, for example, have been more seriously damaged by the recession of the last decade than the economies of larger cities. Typically, store vacancies have increased in small cities as a result of the recession. Moreover, the population of small cities is aging rapidly, obscuring their prospects for the future. This paper examines the outcome of changes in the case of the small city of Saga, Ja-pan, with particular attention to the decline of its urban center and its unsuccessful efforts at downtown revitalization. As the center of Saga Prefecture in southwestern Japan, the city of Saga performs communication, education, administrative, and cultural functions that are significant in the local and regional economy. As in other small cities in Japan, the down-town of Saga has declined with the regional economy in recent years. The outlook for Saga's urban environment is serious, with increasing urban problems anticipated. In re-sponse, downtown revitalization and redevelopment efforts have been undertaken, but these have been unsuccessful. This study concludes that a lack of both public participation and clear policy purpose were contributing factors in the failure of Saga’s revitalization efforts.