1999 Saitama, Japan

Democratic Design in the Pacific Rim

The 2nd Conference of the Pacific Rim Community Design Network
Saitama, Japan. June 1999

 

The network participants joined each other for the second time in Saitama, Japan in 1999. Altogether, 24 papers were presented, including 9 from the USA, 6 from Taiwan, 8 from Japan, and 1 from Hong Kong, all of which shared important, findings, experiences, challenges, and struggles of community designers. In the final wrap-up session of the conference, ten key themes were identified as fundamental and common issues facing community design practices: form creates or follows culture? Native wisdom or imposing values? Vision and participatory process; social context; design methods and skills; institutionalization of NPOs and paper politics; politics and democracy; and citizen autonomy. In the practice and process of community design, there are struggles, conflicts, and challenging situations among stakeholders including local people, government officials, and community designers themselves. Sometimes, the power politics, apathy, and antipathy of stakeholders can be exhausting, but we can be revitalized and encouraged by the experiences of community designers elsewhere.

Organizer: Yoshiharu Asanoumi, Setagaya Machizukuri Center, with support from Dohi Lab

 

Conference Program
Session 1. Social Context and Participation

Participation and Representation in Environmental Decision-Making in the Pacific Rim Reflection on Negotiation‑Based Models of Practice – Scott McCreary

Community Participation Empowering Society: The Experience of Taiwan in the 1990s – Shu‑cheng Tseng

Designing the Everyday Life Environment for the Aging Community: An Attempt to Initiate Participation Design in Hong Kong – Jackie Kwok and Michael Siu

Community Design in the Japanese Social and Spatial Context – Masato Dohi

Public Participation in Planning in Japan with Special Regard to Urban Conservation – Yukio Nishimura

Session 2. Participation and Community Development

Who Changes Community Change? – Randy Hester

Participatory Design Process and Community Politics: The Case of Chi‑Shan Community in Taipei – Hsin‑Jong Liu & Li‑ling Huang

The Progress and Participatory Community Development and the Construction of New Social Scheme in Japan – Yasuyoshi Hayashi

Session 3. Education

Habits of the Proactive Practitioner – Mark Francis

Learning from Children: an Experiment in Environmental Education – Chao‑ching Yu

Education of Machizukuri (Community Design) in Japan – Isami Kinoshita

Session 4. Participation and Environmental Design

Urban Creeks and Community‑Building: Four Case Studies in the San Francisco East Bay – Corrina Kweskin

Instances of Community Creativity: Issues in Participation and Design – John K.C. Liu

Participatory Design that Materializes the Quality of the Exchange between Human Beings and the Environment Case Study: U‑court, a Cooperative Housing – Yasuhiro Endoh

Chance Changes “Quality” – Sawako Ono

Session 5. Professional Practice and Specialty

Participation by Itself Doesn’t Get You Anything: A Perspective from a Community Development Corporation – Michael Rios

A “Big Table” Experiment: A Case Study of the NTU Building and Planning Research Foundation – Shenglin Chang & John K-C. Liu

The Spin‑off Practice: Experiences of Secondary Processes of Planning and Activism at Ilan Studio and Taiwan Environment Action Network (TEAN) – Jeff Hou

Consensus Building is not Good Enough – Yoshiharu Asanoumi

Community Design and the Process toward a Provisional Solution to Conflict Involving the Homeless People of Nisinari Park in Osaka, Japan – Tamesuke Nagahashi

On Architect the Player – Yasuhiro Endoh

Session 6. Participation and Local Autonomy

Local Autonomy and Paying Tithe to the Region: the Menlo Park Experience – Marcia McNally

Participation and Local Autonomy – Robert Ogilvie

Participatory Urban Design Programs in Setagaya City from 1982 to 1999 – Morio Uzuki & Naomichi Kurata

Session 7. System to Sustain Professional Activity

Urban Garden Programs Past and Present: Community Development Model or Minefield? – Laura Lawson

How can Participatory Design be Incorporated in Professional Practice? – Keiko Ono & Tetsuya Ando

Chiba Field Trip & Symposium Sanbanze Action Voluntary Echo: Tidal Flat & Sustainable Development Tidal Flat Management Policy in the U.S. – Scott McCreary

Protection of Black Spoon Bill and Citizen Participation – Jeff Hou

Grass‑root Citizen Action Foster Environment and People – Marcia McNally

Tidal Flat Environmental Management to Maintain and Uplift Lives – Masahiko Isobe

Environmental Education and Sanbanze for Next Generation Thinking the Future of Sanbanz – Miwako Suzuki

Setagaya Public Symposium Environmental Design and Civil Society: Toward 2lst Century

Keynote Speeches: Contemporary Issues of Citizen Participation – Randy Hester, John K-C. Liu, Yasuyoshi Hayashi

Project Examples Sustainable Community and NPO (Urban Ecology project) – Marcia McNally

Urban Recreation and Advocacy (Project done by OURs) -Hsin‑Jong Liu

Environmental Conservation and International Network (SAVE case) -Jeff Hou

Panel Discussion: Toward Fruitful Participation and 21st Century – Randy Hester, Robert Ogilvie, Chu‑joe Hsia, Hsin‑Jong Liu, Yasuyoshi Hayashi, Yasuhiro Endoh, Yukio Nishimura