The key feature of the land use basic plan established by the machizukuri ordinance was the division of the whole urban area into small districts. In each district a public meeting is held, and local groups are encouraged to form a Machizukuri Council. The councils are approved by the mayor and charged with developing a District Machizukuri Plan, created through a series of public participation and consultation workshops. Two-thirds of local residents must approve the plan to make it an official District Machizukuri Plan (Hotaka Town 1999:5). Where such plans are in place, they must be taken into account when proposals for new development or redevelopment are made for the district. Developers must also gain the approval of local government before they can proceed. Although the consent oflocal recidents is not always necessary, the local government will not normally give approval without it. In districts where a District Machizukuri Plan has been approved, the District Machizukuri Council is understood to represent the local residents. But, under the traditional rural social structure of the town, the District Machizukuri Council is actually the District jichikai. So, local residents, through participation in the Jichikai or Machizukuri Council within each district thus have the power to refuse land development projects over a certain size. In the area of the District Machizukuri Plan, even smaller developments will be required to pass a similar but simpler process provided by a “District Machizukuri Working Manual”, but its development is still in progress.