My Vision No.40
2019.2The Potential of Germany’s“Soziale Stadt” Program
The contemporary city faces a number of problems, including worsening employment
environments, issues associated with immigration and multicultural society, and the deteriorationof the built urban environment. Germany has long sought to respond to urban problems throughits “Soziale Stadt” or “Social City” experiment, which has attempted to revivify the city through avariety of means, such as urban redevelopment and the creation of environmental cities. The
history of the Soziale Stadt concept reaches back to the 19th century. What is the Soziale Stadt
Program? In this issue of My Vision, we look at initiatives based on this concept and theirsignificance, and consider what suggestions they may offer Japan.

About this Issue
Commencing an urban experiment – Realization of a Japanese version of Germany’s“Soziale Stadt”
Shigeki Uno

NIRA Executive Vice President, Professor, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo
Keywords…Urban experiment, vitalization of regional cities, increasing the sense of solidarity,communities in which individuals with diverse backgrounds become one

Expert Opinions
The Potential of Germany’s “Soziale Stadt” Program
What is Germany’s Soziale Stadt Program?
What suggestions does it hold for Japan?

Realizing sustainable regional revitalization
through an integrated approach to initiatives

The “Soziale Stadt” or “Socially Integrative
City” Program: Contributing to theempowerment of the socially vulnerable

Masako Murota

Kenji Yamamoto

Professor, Department of Restoration Ecology and
Built Environment, Faculty of Environmental
Studies, Graduate School of Environmental andInformation Studies, Tokyo City University
Keywords…Community revival, urban social
problems, approaches that integrate “hard” and“soft”

Professor, Chair of the Department of Regional
Economics, Faculty of Economics, Teikyo
University
Keywords…Social housing, the socially vulnerable,
foreigners, empowerment of socially vulnerable,
NPOs, Socially Integrative City

A “Program for All Citizens”: The historicalbackground of the Soziale Stadt Program

Housing policies in which initiatives aredeveloped in districts

Satoshi Baba

Shigeaki Oba

Germany’s “Soziale Stadt” as an auxiliary
programInterview period：November, 2018
Interviewer: Naoko Mori
(NIRA Research Coordinator, Researcher）
Ayumi Kitajima（NIRA Research Coordinator, Researcher）

Professor, Faculty of Economics, The University ofTokyo
Keywords…Autonomy of cities, strong cityadministration, Daseinsvorsorge (Provision of
public utilities and public services), inclusion of allcity residents

Heizou Takamatsu

Journalist
Keywords…Improvement of the quality of cities,
community formation, NPOs

Professor, Graduate School of Literature andHuman Sciences, Osaka City University
Keywords…Social housing, market adjustment
function, initiatives developed for districts

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.40
2019.2
About this Issue

Commencing an Urban Experiment – Realizationof a Japanese Version of Germany’s “Soziale Stadt”
The City – A Major Actor in Social Policy
Traveling in Germany’s regional areas, what most impresses
one is the vitality of the nation’s regional cities. Germany is afederal state, and its regions were originally highly diverse. Someare city municipalities, like Hamburg and Bremen, inheritors of
the tradition of the free cities of the Hanseatic League, which are
now states in the federal republic. However, the important thing
here is not the federal system alone. It is worth focusing on the factthat cities play an important role alongside the federal and state
Shigeki Uno
governments in addressing the problems faced by contemporary
NIRA Executive Vice President,
cities (employment instability, loss of a sense of community,/ Professor, Institute of Social
environmental problems in depressed areas, etc.). The key phrase
Science, The University ofTokyo
is “Soziale Stadt,” or “Social Cities.”
Nevertheless, from the perspective of population, thescale of Germany’s cities is not especially large. The majority of Germany’s cities have
populations of no more than 20,000; with a population of 100,000, a city is considered a “largecity.” The fact that German cities with populations of less than 100,000 are major actors in theimplementation of diverse social policy must surely be of relevance to Japan’s regional cities,
where population decline is a serious issue.

Integration of Urban Redevelopment and Community Revitalization Policies based on
NPO Activities
The Soziale Stadt Program commenced in 1999. The program was commenced as a means ofspurring redevelopment in response to the aging of infrastructure and changes in Germany’s industrial
structure, in addition to improving the housing environment for immigrants, but as we are informedby Professor Masako Murota of Tokyo City University, the focus of the program shifted from economic,
environmental, social revitalization to the solution of social problems. The key was an approach to theimplementation of policy that integrated the “hard” and the “soft” – the renovation of residential andbusiness areas at the same time as the revitalization of community bonds that would be passed down
through generations.
Professor Kenji Yamamoto of Teikyo University also emphasizes the empowerment of city
residents. Among its activities, the Soziale Stadt Program provides support for the acquisition ofqualifications by people who quit school early, among others, and to enable residents themselves toorganize community activities such as festivals. The element that we should pay particular attention
to is the existence of “District Managers.” District Managers stand between the administration and theresidents of the city, and provide general consultation services for residents. The majority of these
individuals are members of NPOs, including Christian and labor union-affiliated NPOs. The heavy
involvement of NPOs, in both the quantitative and qualitative senses, is a significant element in theimplementation of the Soziale Stadt Program.

Inclusion of All City Residents, Improvement of the Sense of Solidarity
What, then, does the “sozial” in “Soziale Stadt” actually mean? Professor Satoshi Baba of The
University of Tokyo informs us that the German word encompasses the idea of a vision of the entire
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.40
2019.2social landscape, in which mutual assistance maintains social integration and prevents the society
from fracturing. The contemporary Soziale Stadt Program also does not focus exclusively on partial
measures, for example providing assistance to some of the poorer members of society, but is a conceptthat encompasses all of the residents of the city and seeks to increase their sense of solidarity. In thefact that German cities traditionally competed with each other while working to resolve social issues
under the leadership of the Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor), a specialist urban bureaucrat
possessing considerable discretionary power, we can see the historical background that led tocontemporary Germany’s Soziale Stadt.
Within Germany, Hamburg is the city that has been most progressive in advancing programs
to revitalize depressed areas within the city. Through redevelopment closely tied to residents’concerns, Hamburg has sought to develop districts that combine residences, shops, offices andcultural facilities, and which are home to individuals from diverse social strata. Professor Shigeaki
Oba of Osaka City University explicates the role played in this by social housing. When housing isleft to the market, disparities in supply develop as a result of factors including social stratificationand the characteristics of specific districts. The distinctive feature of social housing is that it allows
housing to be supplied on the basis of low-interest government loans provided on the basis ofconditions including the income of the applicant; after the government loan is repaid, the residence
can be freely rented or resold.
The city of Erlangen in Bavaria often attracts international attention. Erlangen has apopulation of approximately 110,000, but its per capita GDP is twice the German average. The factthat the city has a university and is home to global companies is a major factor in this. The journalist
Heizou Takamatsu, who reports from the region, also focuses attention on the important role that
NPOs have played in the city’s Soziale Stadt Programs. It is some 740 NPOs, involved in fields
ranging from sports and culture to environmental issues, education and welfare, that have created asingle community from residents of diverse backgrounds. The city’s NPO and cultural policies havestimulated an enduring love of the city in its residents, and are a source of creativity.

Now is the Time to commence Diverse Social Experiments in Japanese Cities
Considered individually, similar initiatives to these German Soziale Stadt initiatives can beobserved among local municipalities in Japan. However, the uniqueness of the German programis evident in the fact that it seeks both to revitalize regional economies and solve social problems,and integrates “hard” initiatives (such as the upgrading and redevelopment of urban
infrastructure) and the enhancement of “soft” elements that function through citizen participation,in particular via the involvement of NPOs. The creation of new urban identities and thestimulation of affection for their city among residents through the mixing of residents of different
generations, social classes and national origins will provide important hints for Japan’s regional
cities.
The creation of a new vision that enables us to overcome the “disappearance” of Japan’s
regional areas and a “shrinking society” will be essential if we are to address the numerous social
issues that Japan faces against the background of a declining and aging population. What we needat this juncture is a Japanese version of the Soziale Stadt concept and the launch of diverse urban
experiments based on that concept.

Professor Uno teaches in the Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo, and serves as NIRA’s Executive Vice
President. He took his Ph.D. (Law) from The University of Tokyo, and specializes in the history of political thought andpolitical philosophy.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.40
2019.2
Expert Opinions

Realizing Sustainable Regional Revitalization
through an Integrated Approach to Initiatives
The major distinguishing feature of German urban
revitalization is the fact that it combines urban and housing
policy that focuses on the improvement of infrastructure and therevitalization of housing estates with such policy focuses as
immigration, education and welfare policy, and implements thesein an integrated fashion. By advancing the renovation ofresidential and business areas that have become decrepit intandem with efforts including the strengthening of community,
the promotion of employment, the provision of support to thedisabled, the elderly and immigrants, and education for young
people, the German initiative seeks to recreate sustainable
Masako Murota
regional communities at the same time as realizing regional
Professor, Department ofrevitalization.
Restoration Ecology andTermed the “Soziale Stadt” Program, this policy was
Built Environment,commenced in 1999. Some examples of the program’s
Faculty of Environmental
implementation: If there is an increase in the number of children
Studies, Graduate School ofin an area, and empty lots are turned into playgrounds, theEnvironmental and Information
program does not restrict itself to the “hard” aspect, theStudies, Tokyo City University
construction of parks, etc.; it also takes “soft” approaches in an
attempt to ensure a sound upbringing for the children. Or, in districts in which there is a large
number of immigrants, the program not only works to improve the residential environment anddevelop community centers, but in tandem with this also provides German-language classes toparents and children, and organizes parties or small festivals for local residents and immigrants,functioning to realize social integration and promote employment and interaction with the local
community. In areas in which new sites are created by the relocation of a factory, land use isconverted in order, for example, to generate renewable energy or stimulate the tourism industry. At
the same time, use is made of the surplus facilities for purposes such as conducting training programsfor the unemployed, and implementing measures to promote entrepreneurship and attract humanresources and innovation. The focus of the program was on economic, environmental, social
revitalization, but today it is being more actively utilized as a means of improving the urban
environment and solving social issues.
This integrated approach – i.e., the attempt to realize structural solutions to urban social
issues generated by the aging of infrastructure and buildings, and changes in the economic and social
environments, and thus to revitalize and create new appeal in the targeted areas and districts,
through a policy approach that integrates “hard” and “soft” elements – can provide a model for Japan.
In many of Japan’s deteriorating urban areas which are in need of revitalization, there are few young
people, and the elderly are isolated. There is a gap between elderly peoples’ groups and young peoples’
networks, and limited opportunity for mutual discussion and mutual assistance between generations.
As a result, these areas are not “passed on” from one generation to the next. In order to transformthese areas, it will first be necessary to renovate the districts concerned; it would be desirable toimprove aging infrastructure, rundown and empty houses, poorly managed greenery, etc. by areabasis. In addition, it will also be necessary to make these areas appealing enough to attract young
people back to them, realizing a revitalization on the “soft” front that allows the area to be “passedon” between generations.
Professor Murota conducts research in the area of urban and architectural planning, with a focus on the realization of asustainable society. She is engaged in empirical research on the formation of communities throughout Japan. Aftercompleting coursework in social engineering in the doctoral program of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, she served as
an Associate Professor at the Musashi Institute of Technology before taking her present position. The recipient of
numerous prizes, Professor Murota was also an outside member of a policy committee of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.40
2019.2
Expert Opinions

The “Soziale Stadt” or “Socially Integrative City” Program:Contributing to the Empowerment of the Socially Vulnerable
Around 1960, one could find close to the center of any Germancity large residential buildings and areas offering a poor living
environment. Such areas had been constructed as dense clusters of
housing for factory workers during Germany’s era of industrializationfrom the middle of the 19th century. This housing generally offered poor
living conditions, and when social housing Sozialwohnung or publicly
subsidized apartment meeting modern standards began to be built inthe suburbs in the 1960s, there was an ongoing exodus. However,Germans who were unable to move continued to live in the old areas,
and at the same time foreign workers gradually moved into empty
apartments, in order to let their family members join them from theirrespective home countries. In the 1970s, the need to improve these
Kenji Yamamoto
residential districts in German inner cities was increasingly
Professor, Department ofrecognized, and improvement programs commenced, advanced by city
Regional Economics,
administrations that took responsibility for the provision of housing
Faculty of Economics,
and public companies and other entities under their jurisdiction, with
Teikyo University
financial assistance from the federal government. At the same time, thelarge-scale suburban residential complexes built in the 1960s and the surrounding areas were aging,
and at a time when their deficiencies as living environments became apparent, they began to become
densely populated by the socially vulnerable such as the unemployed and single mothers, in addition
to non-German immigrants.
In response, in the 1990s the “Soziale Stadt” Program, also known as the “Socially Integrative
City” Program, which sought to improve urban areas in which residences and the living environment
more generally had deteriorated and which were facing social problems, was advanced in earnest
based on cooperation between federal, state and municipal governments. A distinctive feature of theProgram is the fact that it does not focus exclusively on improving residences and the physical living
environment, but also implements projects that assist in empowering residents. This has allowed
some residents to live stably in Germany for the first time by enabling them to obtain qualifications
for employment. The Program supports high school dropouts to obtain qualifications and residents todevelop the ability to plan and conduct community activities such as community festivals. Staff called“District Managers,” who offer consultation services to local residents, are assigned to each district,
and work for the revitalization of their district as a liaison between the administration and residents.
In Germany, whether in the inner cities or the suburbs, Catholic, Protestant, labor union andother social welfare groups have long been active in working for the benefit of the socially vulnerable.
The majority of District Managers are members of such NPOs. It could be said that it is the power ofNPOs that enables German society to function. While the foundation for NPO activities differs
between Germany and Japan, it is undoubtedly the case that Japan has much to learn from
Germany’s Soziale Stadt Program.
Note: About the translation of “Soziale Stadt Program”
Professor Yamamoto uses “Socially Integrative City” as the English translation of “Soziale Stadt” rather than the directtranslation, “Social City,” in order to distinguish between “Sozialestadt” as a historical concept related to the German
welfare state, and “Soziale Stadt” as a program contributing to social and urban development that commenced in the
1990s.
Professor Yamamoto specializes in socioeconomic social and economic geography. He holds a Ph.D. in Science, and is
the former President of the Japan Association of Economic Geographers. His research outcomes based on field studies
in Germany are highly regarded. Professor Yamamoto studied at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Science.
He has conducted research at German universities including the Technical University of Munich and Heidelberg
University. After serving as a Professor in Kyushu University’s Graduate School of Economics and as Dean of the sameschool, Professor Yamamoto is now a Professor Emeritus of Kyushu University. He was awarded the Philipp Franz vonSiebold-Prize in 2000 by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.40
2019.2
Expert Opinions

A “Program for All Citizens”: The Historical
Background of the Soziale Stadt Program
Germany has traditionally been a decentralized nation withhighly autonomous cities, and institutions and policy have been createdon a foundation of strong city administrations. The Soziale Stadt
Program forms part of this tradition, and it can be seen to haveinherited the role played by the city in German history.
With the progress of industrialization in the latter half of the 19th
century, Germany’s population began to concentrate in cities, andurban problems including housing shortages, poor hygiene, poverty andunemployment began to become issues. It was the cities that firstgrappled with realizing a solution to these problems. Germany’s cities
Satoshi Baba
had been incorporated into the state by the Prussian Reform Movement
Professor, Faculty ofat the beginning of the 19th century, but retained strong selfEconomics,
government and a high level of financial autonomy. The
The University of Tokyo
Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor) was a specialist urban bureaucrat
with a term of 12 years, and possessed considerable discretionary
power. Cities cooperated while competing with each other.
German cities during this period were known as “Sozialstadt,” and are regarded as precursors
to the German welfare state that developed after the First World War. Under the banner of the“Sozialstaat” (“Social State"), the role of central actor in social policy in Germany shifted from the city
to the state. However, with the formation of the federal republic following the Nazi period and theSecond World War, the role of the city once again increased during the process of decentralizationfrom the 1970s onwards.
The German word “sozial” has the connotation of a view of society as a whole, in which mutual
assistance prevents social fracture, maintaining social integration. German scholar of administrative
law Ernst Forsthoff conceptualized this as Daseinsvorsorge (provision of public utilities and public
services). This is an important concept which means that the administration undertakes to provide
the necessities of city residents’ lives, not just to lower-income residents, but to all residents. It
encompasses the idea that the city, as part of the state, provides the electricity, gas, transport, etc.
that are indispensable to residents’ lives, and also tackles issues such as education, assistance for thepoor, and hygiene.
The current Soziale Stadt Program also does not rest with providing assistance to poorer social
strata, but is based in the concept of providing coverage to all the residents of the city, encompassing
whole districts and ultimately the entire city. We can consider the program to have inherited thehistorical concept of “sozial.” Building on this continuity, the contemporary Soziale Stadt Program has
set itself the new aim of raising the level of problematic districts while harnessing the strength of newactors including private sector entities and NPOs.

Professor Baba is engaged in research that analyzes the problems of German cities following modernization andindustrialization, and studies their significance from the perspectives of economics and economic history. He specializes
in the study of modern German urban history and western economic history. Professor Baba completed coursework in
the Ph.D. program of The University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Economics, taking a Ph.D. in Economics. He held
positions as an Assistant Professor in The University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Economics and Graduate School of
Economics before taking his present position in 1998. He has also been a visiting researcher in the Faculty ofPhilosophy and History, Goethe University Frankfurt, and the Centre for Urban History, University of Leicester.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.40
2019.2
Expert Opinions

Housing Policies in which Initiatives aredeveloped in Districts
There have long been significant disparities between Germanstates, and the makeup of citizens, including immigrants, also varies
greatly between regions. The Soziale Stadt Program was born fromquestioning of how each local municipality in this society marked bysignificant disparity between states and between municipalities could
guarantee a fixed standard of living for all of their residents. Housing
policy, one of the pillars of the program, is characterized by theemphasis placed on the market supply and demand function.
This has its origin in the provision of government assistance tobuild houses amid Germany’s post-WWII housing shortage, in order
Shigeaki Oba
to ensure the provision of housing to a wide range of social strata. If
Professor, Graduate School of
housing were to be left up to the market, there would be disparities
Literature and Humanof supply between different social strata and between districts within
Sciences,
Osaka City University
the city. Low-interest government loans, conditional upon factors
including the residents’ income, are provided to both companies andindividuals, enabling the supply of large amounts of housing. This is termed “social housing,” and is aconcept unique to Germany, referring not to public housing but to temporary housing for low-income
residents for which government loans have not yet been repaid. When the government loan is repaid,
tenancy of the house is not restricted to low-income individuals; the house can be rented or resold. An
upper limit for rent is set by each district or street within the city, but the amount itself is determinedby the balance of supply and demand in the market. On this point, this approach differs from theconcept behind welfare policy.
The city-state of Hamburg is characterized by a high rate of dependence on rental housing, andits housing policy has been proactive even by German standards. Recent economic growth has createda tight housing supply situation, re-energizing the construction of social housing. At the same time,
because disparity between districts within the city has also increased, measures are now being
implemented that respond more closely to the actual situation of specific districts. The organization
STEG, commissioned by the state to conduct a redevelopment project in Hamburg, was launched as acity-owned company and later privatized. STEG’s function in coordinating between theadministration and residents is steadily being transferred to residents’ groups and other entities
within individual districts. Citizen participation, a defining feature of the Soziale Stadt Program, isenabling responses to individual issues that are understood precisely because the people involved areresidents of the district.
Even by comparison with other German cities, Hamburg has been quick to undertake urban
renewal initiatives such as the redevelopment of declining urban districts, but these efforts cannot becalled an unconditional success. The economy is growing, but time will still be necessary for theelimination of disparities between districts and divisions within the community. Hamburg remains on
the path to renewal.
Focusing on Hamburg and the Ruhr region, Professor Oba conducts research on German urban policy, in particular
land and housing policy since modernization, international comparison of the regional housing market in advanced
industrial nations, urban development projects, and projects for the renewal of declining urban districts. He completed
coursework in Osaka City University’s Graduate School of Literature and Human Sciences (specializing in Geography).
He holds a Ph.D. in Literature. Professor Oba served as an Associate Professor at Osaka City University’s Graduate
School of Literature and Human Sciences before taking his present position. He has also been a Visiting Professor at
the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.40
2019.2
Expert Opinions

Germany’s “Soziale Stadt” as an
Auxiliary Program
I report from Erlangen (population approximately 110,000), a
city in the north of the state of Bavaria. Erlangen is implementing the
Soziale Stadt Program in multiple districts. The purpose of the Soziale
Stadt Program is to provide comprehensive support for urban renewal
from both the “hard” (buildings, etc.) and “soft” (community
involvement, etc.) perspectives, but it also seems to be applied in cities
and areas that have already achieved a specific level of economic powerand quality of life. Erlangen is one of these. I would like to consider
how to understand the relationship of cities with the Program based on
my observations in Erlangen. The characteristics of the city inGermany may provide us with one clue in doing so.
Heizou Takamatsu
In general, the definition of “city” is vague. In the case of
Journalist
Germany, however, due to the historical background, the image of thecity and related institutions, etc. are comparatively clear. In addition,
the scale of urban municipalities is relatively small. A city of 100,000 is considered a large city, and isqualitatively quite different from Japanese cities of the same size. Cities in Germany also seek tocomprehensively optimize elements throughout the entire city, encompassing economics, culture,
education, the environment, welfare and resident participation. In a word, there is a strong
disposition towards improving the quality of the city. Erlangen is a city that had already achieved ahigh level of quality; nevertheless, if a survey of data for the entire city showed, for example, areas inwhich interaction between generations should be more active, this would be addressed as an urban
planning project. At such times, application for the Soziale Stadt Program would also represent a
possibility.
I will consider one of the important elements of the Soziale Stadt – resident participation. The
city is not a premodern human group with shared bonds and blood ties; it is a space densely inhabitedby strangers. Mechanisms to enable people to get to know each other are therefore essential, andcultural policy and NPOs (and equivalent organizations) fulfill this role. They transform the city froma collection of strangers into a space encompassing community elements. In Germany, NPOs havelong collaborated closely with administrations in order to improve the quality of life of citizens. This
also applies in areas that are targets of the Soziale Stadt Program. For example, sports clubs (which
are also organizations equivalent to NPOs) in districts that are subject to the Program are involved
from the beginning in the planning, construction and operation of sports facilities in the district.
There are approximately 740 NPOs in Erlangen that fulfill this role, focusing in addition to sport onareas including culture, environmental problems, education and welfare.
If you read the local newspaper, you will see that when the city applies for a Soziale Stadt
Program, the details are carefully reported, and a member of staff of the City Planning Bureau isinterviewed. It is important news for the region. Nevertheless, I think that the easiest way tounderstand the Soziale Stadt Program is to view it as an extension of urban management, playing an
auxiliary role in increasing the quality of the city as a whole.
（Submitted manuscript）
Mr. Takamatsu resides in Erlangen, in Bavaria. He began regularly visiting the city in the latter half of the 1990s, andhas been a resident since 2002. As a journalist, Mr. Takamatsu reports on various aspects of his adopted region,
including culture, the environment, the economy, and sports. He writes about the development of regional cities,
comparing customs and social systems between Germany and Japan. In addition to lecturing for local governments anduniversities when he visits his native Japan, Mr. Takamatsu is also involved in a training program in Erlangen thatcombines intensive lectures and excursions.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement