ABSTRACT
This last chapter presents the five main discussion points concerning the future of machizukuri.
First, possible solutions that machizukuri-like activities could bring to the recent confrontation between Globalization and Localism are studied. Such solutions must be rooted in community activities in different parts of the world to address urgent local issues, such as facing global environmental problems and achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Second, at their starting point machizukuri activities were said to be an “experiment in democracy”; this chapter explores how machizukuri can allow the rebuilding of democracy as a new social system. Third, the kind of cultural value that machizukuri can produce is discussed. This needs to be considered in relation to the climate and culture present in the targeted area, and the intangible dimensions nurtured through machizukuri. Fourth, how the assemblage of machizukuri activities can achieve regional integration is studied here. Finally, inside regional ecological systems, every place is important both individually and as part of a whole, as all the parts connect and support each other. The question here would be whether a holistic management model that integrates both natural and spiritual cultures can really be achieved.
