This study has analyzed overseas projects of building rural communities using vacant houses. It is aimed at identifying the roles of NPO in the community-building projects and providing implications applicable to Korea. In recent years, there has been a spike in the number of vacant houses in rural areas. It is due to rapid urbanization and uneven distribution of the population across the country. Those are the reasons that prompted community-building projects. To solve the vacant house issue, there has been rising interest in building communities through vacant houses as rural resources and effectively integrating them as useful resources. However, the roles of key entity that pursues community-building projects using vacant houses have not been discussed sufficiently. Thus, this study deals with the 'Vacant House Recreation Project of NPO Corporation in Onomichi' in Hiroshima, Japan. Through the case study, the following are introduced as NPO's roles in community-building projects using vacant houses. First, pursuing promotion and attracting attention by making the utilization of vacant houses sensational; system improvement; offering information. Second, enhancing the perception of local residents by offering local services using vacant houses; offering community-building items. Third, forming a place of public discussion to solve conflicts during community-building projects using vacant houses; offering alternatives to building communities. Above all, such roles have led to the key status of NPO during its community-building projects using vacant houses. It offers the following implication for Korea: Future vacant house-related policies for rural revitalization should be done from community-building standpoint and include establishing the roles of NPO.

The purpose of this study is derived by Utilization Strategy for Rural empty houses stability of Return to the Farm and Rural. The main findings can be summarized as follows. First, the recent return to the farm and rural has increased, and life patterns of diversification, and the retirement of the baby boomer generation return to the farm and rural ratio differed by region. Second, the required first order accurate and detailed to maximize the utilization of the rural empty houses Survey, and the integrated management system based on it should be built. Third, the public lead in pushing for policy to take advantage of an empty house, leasing and management capabilities by strengthening return to the farm and rural characters, revitalizing rural and residential stabilization is necessary. Finally, in order to enhance the utilization of the rural empty houses should prepare return to the farm and rural, Multi-Habitation and a common space for existing residents for a variety of purposes. The results of these studies has a significance that can promote rural housing return to the farm and rural, resource utilization and stable settlement, and rural areas activated at the same time. Utilization of specific rural empty houses feasible policy being prepared, by linking rural areas that can bring effects on the activation of alternative hope.

The number of abandoned houses and vacant lots in rural villages is increasing continuously. They are a bad influence of the rural landscape and land use. They should be rehabilitated for efficient use of land and rural resources. The Space Syntax which is one of the tools of spatial structure analysis has been applied usefully at home and abroad in order to analyze quantitatively the spacial structure and to be clear logically the physical structure. The Space Syntax method was used in order to systematically analyze the spatial configurations and the location of abandoned houses and vacant lots on 22 rural villages. On the basis of integration and depth value this study classified low types which was provided for the characteristics of spatial structure and the location of abandoned houses and vacant lots of rural villages, and suggested practical applications for each type.

This study aimed at proposing policy improving directions of the rural empty homes grant scheme in Korea. The implementation procedures and results of the relevant schemes/projects on optimum use of rural empty homes at home and abroad were reviewed by literature and internet searches. From the reviewing results, a tentative set of policy directions for project improvement were proposed: extention of project scope to all the redundant resources, dual focussing of project objectives on housing innovation and economic regeneration of communities, and systematization of project plan and implementation especially in the statutory aspects.