Partnership among governments, private companies, academia and citizens was key to the success for Kitakyushu’s Eco-Town. Public and private sectors collaborated to establish the recycling industry even before the launch of the Eco-Town Project in 1997. For instance, a steel company, which later became one of the main companies in the formation of the Eco-Town, transformed their old-fashioned business to a new complex industrial structure including recycling. It collaborated with the city and other private entities in order to commercialize the business and recycle PET bottles. Therefore, when the policy of the national government for the Eco-Town Project and a sound material-cycle society were announced, Kitakyushu City welcomed this development and was in a good position to begin. The city also has collaborative partnership with research institutions that provides new methods and technologies for Eco-Town projects and waste management. Endorsement by the citizens to the project is another critical factor for sustainable project implementation.

Kitakyushu City could benefit from the old industrial cluster with technologies, infrastructure, and logistic systems refined during the previous industrial development era in the town. These existing assets were adapted to or repurposed for new recycling industry. There was also a demand nearby the town for recycled goods, which did not have to be transported over a long distance. As a result, transaction costs for the location of the recycling facilities has declined because the recycling industry is concentrated in the Eco-Town.

To address a social need for transportation facilities equitably accessible, understandable and usable to people of all ages and abilities, the national government enacted a law to promote smooth transportation to the elderly, disabled and others in 2006. It set a target to adopt the concept of Universal Design by 2020 for all public transportation facilities, including airports that serve more than 3,000 daily passengers. Under this law, the government developed “Universal Design Guideline”, which is also applicable to improvement of Haneda International Airport. Not only did TIAT follow this guideline, it as a private company made extensive efforts to offer a comfortable space and enhanced accessibility to all types of airport visitors.

The design of the airport itself is half of the success equation - how to ensure seamless door-to-door travel experience for various people including the elderly and disabled is a key. Haneda International Airport Terminal is directly connected to the city’s major urban centers by two railway companies. When the new terminal and stations were built, TIAT and these two railway companies collaborated to get rid of physical barriers across facilities for people with mobility disadvantages. For example, a hall in the terminal allows passengers to directly access to departure/arrival lobbies, public transportation services (e.g., Monorail, railway, buses, and taxies) and a car parking area via flat and straight paths. Several large-size elevators set in the station can also carry a large volume of passengers between the platforms and the arrival/departure floors. A railway line redirected the guideway from the existing platform at the domestic terminal to the second floor of the international terminal to produce flat passenger access from the station to the departure lobby. In addition, the both railway lines introduced movable step boards that bridge train vehicles and platforms for wheelchair users, and platform screen doors for passengers’ safety.

The universal design committee organized approximately forty universal design workshops and reflected the opinions collected from a wide range of users to the detailed drawing of the terminal. The members also visited existing airport facilities and used mock-ups to assess the effect of the design plan. As a result of these joint design efforts, the terminal successfully provides seamless access to public transportation, especially railways. It also progressively introduced world-class terminal facilities with the Universal Design concept; Multipurpose toilets, boarding bridges, and versatile concierge service and communication devices exemplify its novelty.

With the revenues from the endowment and the investment in the sinking fund, La Minga provides the financial resources to implement the prioritized actions from the management plans. To that end, the members of the Technical Committee decide together what strategies are the most vital to implement, the cost of the activities and the terms of refence for hiring a community-based organization to execute the components.

The donation of the Walton Family Foundation to la Minga will be in the fund for at least 30 years, and therefore this mechanism can guarantee that the protected areas will have financial resources for every year over a long time.

All of the protected areas that are covered by La Minga are managed by Community Councils and the regional environmental authorities. Net interests of La Minga will be transferred to community-based organizations (Community Councils) and other nonprofit organizations to support the implementation of management plans for the protected areas, under the
supervision of an Endowment Fund oversight structure.

A Technical Committee for La Minga directs  and oversees the use of La Minga Endowment revenues that are channeled annually to the account
opened and held by Fondo Acción. The Technical Committee is  composed of representatives from Conservation International Colombia, Fondo Acción, local environmental authorities, Community Councils with participation in the protected area management, and an academic advisor. The Technical Committee reviews and approves annual investment plans
presented by both Regional Environmental Authorities and Community Councils.

The Executive Committee  makes the funding decision in accordance with the recommendations that it receives from the Technical Committee.

In the case of Marugamemachi, a community development company manages a range of properties and services (e.g., commercial buildings, housing, tenants, car parking, and community bus operation). In contrast to such companies that in general often hire city officers or private executives to promote and coordinate redevelopment projects, all the staff are business professionals who have rich knowledge and experience in managing commercial buildings. Financially, 95% of the investment to the company comes from the private sector and the rest comes from the local government. This means that the involvement of local government is very limited in the management of the company. Nevertheless, several government subsidy schemes were utilized for the re-development project to reduce the amount of borrowing from banks, which resulted in a reduced financial burden for the land owners.

Historically, retailers along old shopping streets are both individual land owners and local business operators. Although a large-scale redevelopment project has a great potential to generate huge benefits to all the stakeholders, these land owners are often less cooperative with each other for protecting their own property rights. In the case of Marugamemachi, this issue was solved by land owners’ decision to lease their land use rights for the redevelopment project while retaining their property rights, with the strong initiative of local land owners themselves. Through this ownership arrangement, fragmented land lots with different owners were efficiently consolidated into a large parcel for redevelopment and leased to a community development company. Then, the company selectively invited new competitive tenants in consideration of a well-balanced mix of business types to make the place more attractive for customers.

Under a market freehold system, it is not always easy for local planning departments to curb large shopping mall projects and gain control over individual land uses by zoning. When and where traditional planning and regulatory systems are not sufficient to manage land use and shape development, generous incentives (e.g., direct subsidies, tax reductions, and expedited reviews) may be needed to move new residents to the target districts and corridors.