Citizen participatory community development methods based on the concept of bricolage

Abstract (English)

Considering the recent decline in population and shifts in consumer behavior within the information society – such as the increasing prevalence of online purchasing – there is an increasing number of cases where cities must be adapted to no longer resemble their former state, or where radical changes to urban structures are necessitated.

In Japan, for instance, the population is projected to decline by approximately 30% over the next half-century, thus necessitating a major shift in urban development strategies.

Consequently, there is an imperative for urban development to transition from conventional planning methodologies that are predicated on engineers' conception of an ideal final form, towards approaches that foster inclusive participation from diverse societal groups, encompassing individuals from varied social strata, age demographics, and professional backgrounds.

Such methodologies should facilitate the integration of diverse ideologies and ensure the full utilization of each individual's capabilities.

This paradigm shift represents a departure from the conventional, pre-defined, systematic planning approach that has historically dominated urban development, which is predicated on a top-down, engineer-like methodology.

Instead, it should be characterized by a bottom-up approach that embraces the contingencies and incompleteness inherent in the bricolage method espoused by French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss in his seminal 1962 work, "The Savage Mind".

A recent workshop, conducted in November 2024 by the author, served as a case in point. The workshop, which was designed to foster bottom-up thinking, demonstrated the efficacy of the bricolage approach in urban development.

The results of this workshop, which linked twin cities in Japan, underscored the necessity for bricolage-based urban development strategies. The workshop's outcomes included a notable 46% increase in participants' willingness to recommend the area to friends and acquaintances, and a 41% increase in their readiness to take action to enhance the area.