日本熊本縣水俁市在有機水銀污染的重創中，於2008 年成為全日本六大環保城市之一，成為工業污染之褐地重建的重要典範。本研究試圖從水俁市的重建個案中，探討兩個有關褐地重建的重要問題。第一，利害衝突劇烈的褐地，其所發展出的社會資本有何獨特性？第二，褐地的社會資本如何解釋地方政府在褐地重建上的效能？本研究試圖藉由深度訪談水俁當地10 個公、私部門，回答上述兩個研究問題。研究結果顯示，由於褐地具有利害關係分配極端不均、重建面向複雜導致共識難以凝聚、社會運動者主導褐地社會資本建構、以及政府與民間部門之間的對立等等特質，導致褐地社會資本的建構困難重重。而在水俁市的個案中，本研究也發現當地社群團體對於水俁市的重建不僅意見紛歧，對於水俁市成為環保城市的認同度並不高，當地所呈現出的社會資本，與政府在褐地重建上的效能沒有明確的相關性。

This article explores the relationship between social capital and local
government performance regarding brownfield redevelopment. Many studies have shown that social capital, a concept emphasizing trust, norms, and networking relationships, can reduce transaction cost and facilitate governmental performance.However, does social capital also increase governmental performance regarding brownfield redevelopment where intense conflicting interests exist among stakeholders? This research analyzes one of the four major industrial hazard cases in Japan, Minamata disease (involving methyl mercury poisoning in Minamata), to explore the function of social capital in the Minamata revitalization process. Over the past two decades, Minamata City has focused on organic agriculture and the
recycling industry, earning an award as one of the six environmental protection model cities in Japan in 2008. Minamata’s successful brownfield development has impressed outsiders. Therefore, this study considers the function of social capital in this apparently successful revitalization case. The author interviewed ten local figures including leaders of local non-profit organizations and local government officials and attempts to answer two research questions by analyzing the qualitative
in-depth interview data. The first research question involves the characteristics of brownfield social capital. The major point of this research question is that brownfield sites are different from usual communities because of the intense conflicting interests among stakeholders and the inequality of cost and benefit distribution between polluters and brownfield residents. Therefore, there should be unique characteristics to brownfield social capital. The second question entails
exploring to what degree social capital can explain local government performance in redeveloping brownfield sites. As stated above, social capital is expected to have a positive effect on governmental performance. However, is this causal relationship the same in the case of brownfield redevelopment? The research results show that brownfield social capital exhibits different characteristics from common community
social capital. Most importantly, the connection between social capital and local government performance is quite loose in the case of the Minamata revitalization.