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Abstract:Intensive rainfall and frequent inundation have become a serious problem in urban areas all over the world. Climate change and heat island effect may be the cause of the phenomena. Widespread impervious pavement/surface of the ground makes things worse. In order to promote an effective river basin management in urban areas and reduce runoff, a registration system called "Safety Plan for 100mm/h-Rainfall" ("100mm/h Anshin Plan" in Japanese), a scheme for preventing and mitigating inundation caused by extremely heavy, short-term rainfall (such as 100mm/h-rainfall) was established in April 2013 by the central government in Japan. This study carried out a questionnaire survey to examine how municipalities effectively utilize the registration scheme for their watershed management. As a result, it is found that there are municipalities who have started/revised subsidizing installation of private rainwater retention/infiltration facilities in association with the registration system; however, municipalities in general are not so active in promoting runoff reduction by subsidizing private facilities. In addition, in the plans emphasizing public works for runoff reduction, public involvement is not so active, whereas in the plans devised with relatively new committees of watershed management, public involvement as well as private retention activities tend to be active. Based on the results, prospects of how a safety plan should be utilized in an urban watershed are discussed and examined from practicality's point of view.

At present, the planning for the conservation or development of Japanese traditional crafts is based on administrative districts or water catchment areas. However, the conservation of Japanese traditions relies not only on the access to relevant natural resources but also on artisans' ability to manufacture crafts in specific environments. The perspectives of artisans on their work environments have a significant influence on traditional crafts. In this study, we aimed to investigate the changes in natural resource use in a village recognized for Koishiwara-yaki-style pottery. We employed a questionnaire and conducted interview surveys to collect data on the perceptions of the artisans working in the said village. The findings were as follows. 1) The area commonly regarded by the artisans as their place for pottery was identified. The identification of areas that are significant to local tradition can serve as a vital contribution to spatial planning. 2) The birth place of the local ceramics tradition in a local water catchment area was regarded as critically important in the preservation of the traditions of the village. 3) Several potters emphasized the value of their work environment to ver administrative support because of the historical connection between the place and their traditions. Highlighting this connection can attract historical and cultural tourism to this area. & 2015 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).