The purpose of this paper is to discuss the interrelationship between social strata and political representation of spaces. For this purpose, I analyzed a case of local conflict concerning divided opinion over the development of an urban space in a local community.
I studied the case of the Tomo Port Preservation Problem in Tomo no Ura, Fukuyama City. Presently, there is a major conflict between the residents who approve the planned construction of a landfill and bridge on Tomo Port and the residents who do not approve of the plan. Focusing on the fact that both the groups comprise members occupying several different social strata, I analyzed the interrelationship between social strata, political position, area of residence, and spatial memory.
The results showed the following: (1) The core of those who approved the construction comprised regional leader strata who maintained road projects in order to realize urban spaces as a way to indicate their political position and the social strata whose spatial core of regional cooperation was not Tomo Port; (2) The preservationist camp comprised the next generation of regional leaders who were aiming for a reevaluation of the spatial memory of Tomo Port, the strata of women and housewives who were attempting to protect the spatial foundation of social solidarity that a "port town" represents, and the old notables strata that intended to maintain its traditional political position supported by the port; (3) It is apparent that the residents in the area consider the port as a space that symbolizes their political position, and the point of conflict is the fluctuation in their political position brought about by the continuation or extinction of that space. Through spatial memory, urban spaces regulate/govern the practices and social world of the people living in the present.