Journal paper acceptance

博士後期課程　江野さんが　サービス学会論文誌サービソロジーにて下記の論文がアクセプトされました．

タイトル：持続可能な地域づくりの価値共創：新潟県湯沢町活性化事例の分析

著者：江野 泰子・白肌 邦生

サービソロジー論文誌（原著論文）

ーーー紹介記事を作りました♪ーーー

地域を動かす「誇り」と「役割の変化」　湯沢町の住民主体型まちづくりを学術的に分析

北陸先端科学技術大学院大学の江野泰子氏と白肌邦生氏は，サービス学の視点から地域活性化の構造を分析し，理論的・実践的な意義を示した．

本研究の特徴は，地域づくりを「価値共創のプロセス」として捉えた点にある．従来の外部主導による地域振興とは異なり，住民自らが地域の一員としての誇りを持ち，他者と関わりながら役割を変化させていく動態に着目した．

分析枠組みの柱となるのが，「シビックプライド」と「アクター変容」である．シビックプライドとは，地域に対する愛着や誇り，地域を持続させたいという願望を含む感情であり，アクター変容とは，住民がサービスの受益者から提供者・創出者へと成長していく過程を指す．

研究の事例となった湯沢町では，若者グループ「All Youth Yuzawa」や移住者が中心となり，地域資源を活かした観光案内やイベントの運営などを展開してきた．これらの取り組みは，参加を通じて住民同士の相互作用を生み，役割意識の変化を促している．

調査では，もともと受動的に地域資源を消費していた住民が，他者の行動に触発されて徐々に行動主体となり，自らサービスを提供する立場へと変化していく様子が，半構造化インタビューと現地観察を通じて明らかにされた．さらに，移住者の持ち込む視点が地域に新たな気づきを与え，既存の住民の意識にも変化をもたらしていることが確認された．

本研究は，地域社会における人的資源の重要性と，その活性化の鍵が感情的なつながりや自己認識の変容にあることを示唆している．また，地域振興における「住民の成長」に理論的枠組みを与えた点で，サービス学および地域マネジメント分野への貢献も大きい．

急速な人口減少と少子高齢化が進む中，持続可能な地域づくりには，住民が内発的に動機づけられ，役割を柔軟に変容させながら共に価値を創造する仕組みが求められる．本研究は，その可能性を具体的かつ理論的に提示した点で，他地域への応用や政策立案にも資する成果といえる．

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Revitalizing Communities Through Pride and Role Transformation: A Scholarly Perspective on Yuzawa Town’s Sustainable Development

Yuzawa, a mountainous town in Niigata Prefecture once famed for its ski resorts, is now garnering attention for a different reason—its citizen-led revitalization efforts are being examined as a model of sustainable community development. A recent academic study by Yasuko Eno and Kunio Shirahada of the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) sheds light on how local engagement, pride, and evolving social roles contribute to regenerating regional societies.

Rather than analyzing local development solely in terms of economic investment or infrastructure, the researchers approached the subject through the lens of service science, focusing on “value co-creation” as a key concept. At the heart of their analytical framework are two ideas: civic pride and actor transformation.

Civic pride, in this context, refers to residents’ emotional attachment, identity, and long-term commitment to their town. Actor transformation describes a dynamic process through which individuals evolve from passive recipients of public services into active contributors who integrate and mobilize resources for community benefit.

The case study centered on Yuzawa Town, a municipality that has faced decades of population decline and economic stagnation following the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy. Despite these challenges, a gradual but powerful shift has taken place—driven largely by young residents and in-migrants who have initiated community projects ranging from tourism services to local events.

One notable example is the formation of “All Youth Yuzawa,” a youth collective that not only shares opinions with the local government but also organizes activities such as map-making and cultural workshops. These young actors, the study notes, began as consumers of services but gradually transitioned into resource integrators—taking on leadership roles, connecting stakeholders, and creating new forms of value within the community.

The research, based on qualitative data collected through interviews and field observations, highlights how such transformation processes are catalyzed by shared emotional experiences and collaborative learning. Residents who initially lacked confidence in their town’s future began to rediscover its potential through interaction with newcomers who offered fresh perspectives and entrepreneurial skills.

Importantly, the study demonstrates that these role changes are not isolated incidents but are part of a broader systemic loop. As civic pride is cultivated and shared among residents, it reinforces individual willingness to engage, which in turn encourages others to do the same—ultimately generating a self-sustaining cycle of participation and innovation.

This perspective represents a departure from traditional policy models that emphasize top-down development or external resource injection. Instead, it posits that internal motivation and identity formation are critical drivers of long-term sustainability, especially in rural and aging communities where human capital is limited.

By articulating a structured model of community transformation based on service-dominant logic, the research contributes to both academic theory and practical application. It provides local governments, NGOs, and regional planners with a framework to understand how emotional bonds and social roles shape the success of revitalization efforts.

In Japan’s context, where nearly half of municipalities are at risk of disappearing by 2040 due to depopulation, this study offers a valuable alternative. It suggests that revitalization does not solely depend on large-scale investment but can emerge from the bottom-up mobilization of existing human and social resources, fueled by a renewed sense of collective purpose.

In summary, Eno and Shirahada’s work reframes the narrative of regional development by emphasizing the importance of civic pride and actor growth. Their findings not only explain how Yuzawa Town managed to reverse some of its decline but also provide a transferable framework for other communities facing similar challenges across Japan and beyond.