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Should a Closed School Be Sold or Leased? The Forms and Amounts Municipalities Show for Schools on Offer, and 14 Casebook Cases That Chose Transfer or Paid Lease
Whether to sell or lease a closed school, checked against MEXT's list of closed school facilities currently seeking new uses and its casebook. We count whether municipalities show a transfer or a lease in 455 listings, set out listings that state planned sale prices, lease fees, free or reduced terms and contract periods, and give the renovation costs and how they were shared in the 14 casebook cases that chose a transfer or a paid lease.
Small Concession vs Park-PFI — A Deep Dive into the Differences【2026 Edition】
A detailed comparison of the legal basis, SPC structure, risk allocation, and financing for Small Concession and Park-PFI. Complements the A-9 selection guide with in-depth analysis for intermediate readers.
How to Write a Park-PFI Proposal — Working Backward from the Scoring Criteria [2026 Edition]
A thorough guide to writing Park-PFI public solicitation proposals from the perspective of evaluation scoring. Covers how to read scoring criteria, the structure and key points for each chapter, what evaluators reward most, and the most common failure modes — all with the latest 2026 information.
How to Build a Park-PFI Revenue Plan — With Simulation Template [2026 Edition]
A detailed guide to building a Park-PFI business revenue and cost plan. Covers construction costs, operating costs, revenue forecasting, sensitivity analysis, and financing — with a three-scenario model (optimistic, base, pessimistic) sized for a mid-scale project (¥100M–¥300M development budget).
A Guide to Repurposing Closed Schools for Welfare Operators: Leasing, Building Checks, Subsidies, Designation Standards and Cases [2026 Edition]
How social welfare corporations, NPOs and companies can use closed schools for disability welfare, elderly care or children's support. Covers the Local Autonomy Act rules on lending and transferring municipal property, the contract forms in the 47 cases of MEXT's casebook, how to check seismic performance, accessibility and fire protection, the facility subsidies that differ by facility type, the equipment rules in the designation standards, and the Nishiwaga, Miharu and Nagaoka cases, all checked against the legal texts and ministry documents.
Direct Operation vs. Private Outsourcing — A Comparison Framework [2026 Edition]
Deciding between direct municipal operation and private outsourcing requires evaluating multiple dimensions: cost, service quality, public interest obligations, and risk allocation. This article presents a structured four-axis comparison framework, applies it to common facility types, and introduces hybrid approaches — shifting the question from 'which is better?' to 'how should we decide?'
Financing Public Asset Revitalization — From Green Bonds to SIBs and Hometown Tax
Traditional municipal bonds alone cannot cover the renewal costs of aging public facilities. This guide covers the full spectrum of financing methods available for public asset utilization—green bonds, social impact bonds (SIBs), government crowdfunding (GCF), project finance, and public subsidies—with a framework for selecting the right approach by project phase and scale.
A Guide to Entering Public Space Business — Park-PFI, Closed Schools, and Small Concessions [2026 Edition]
A practical guide for private-sector businesses considering entry into park cafés, closed school activation, and Small Concession projects. Covers how to find opportunities, consortium formation, writing proposals, and managing revenue after entry.
Operating Public Facilities Through Disability Welfare Reimbursements — The Stability of Statutory Revenue [2026 Edition]
By attracting disability welfare service providers to underutilized public facilities such as closed schools and former community centers, municipalities can secure a stable revenue base through statutory reimbursements. This article explains how the model works, its legal requirements, and the conditions for success.
Designated Manager System: 4 Structural Issues and the Park-PFI Alternative
Analysis of four structural problems in Japan's Designated Manager System (price wars, short cycles, low investment, nominal competition) and how Park-PFI offers an alternative for urban parks.
How to Think About 'What's Next' After the Comprehensive Management Plan [2026 Edition]
A practical guide for municipalities that have completed their Comprehensive Public Facility Management Plan and are now asking what to do next. Covers individual facility plans, market sounding, method selection, and the organizational challenges that most often block implementation.
Park-PFI in Okinawa — A Model Fusing Parks with Tourism Resources
Since 2023, Okinawa Prefecture has seen rapid Park-PFI deployment across Koza Sports Park (Okinawa City), Manko Park (Naha City), and 21st Century Forest Park (Nago City). This article analyzes the Okinawa-type Park-PFI model premised on fusion with tourism resources, and the structure behind the prefecture's first in-park Starbucks store.
READING GUIDE
Choose a starting point.
Follow a short route through the basics, examples and practical steps. Community groups, researchers and students are welcome.
ROUTE 01
For municipal planning
Start with the basics, then move through cases, process and dialogue design.
- What Is Public Facility Management? Challenges, Concepts, and Next Steps
- Sapporo Yurigahara Park Park-PFI LiLiLi — Sapporo's First Case, Community-Led SPV Park Operation
- The Complete Park-PFI Process — A Four-Year Roadmap from Concept to Opening [2026 Edition]
- Market Sounding for PPP: 8-Item Question Template and Step-by-Step Guide
ROUTE 02
For prospective operators
Understand the system, test viability and prepare a proposal.
- What Is a Small Concession? A Complete Guide for Local Government Officials [2026 Edition]
- Higashi Yuenchi URBAN PICNIC — Kobe Sannomiya Redevelopment and Park-PFI After 8 Years of Citizen-Led Social Experiments
- How to Build a Park-PFI Revenue Plan — With Simulation Template [2026 Edition]
- How to Write a Park-PFI Proposal — Working Backward from the Scoring Criteria [2026 Edition]
ROUTE 03
Learn from setbacks
See how projects stall and which conditions to avoid.
- Abandoned School Reuse Failures — Why Repurposed Schools Become Idle Again: Structural Causes of Withdrawal and Business Collapse
- 5 Patterns of Park-PFI Project Failure — Structural Analysis of Contract Termination, Financial Deterioration, and Resident Opposition
- The Zero-Response Sounding Problem — 5 Reasons Private Operators Don't Participate and How to Fix It