Identifying the merits of bottom-up urban development

Comprehensive understanding of the merits of bottom-up urban development is lacking, thus hampering and complicating associated collaborative processes. Therefore, and given the assumed relevancies, we mapped the social, environmental and economic values generated by bottom-up developments in two Dutch urban areas, using theory-based evaluation principles. These evaluations raised insights into the values, beneficiaries and path…

Meervoudige waardecreatie van publieke en private projecten in stedelijke ontwikkeling

Stedelijke vastgoedprojecten en gebiedstransformaties zijn financieel soms lastig realiseerbaar, maar bieden tegelijkertijd kansen voor de maatschappelijke opgaven van verstedelijking. Welke maatschappelijke meerwaarde is van belang voorbij de financiële waarde van vastgoed- en grondexploitatie? Welk breder investeringsperspectief kan worden gehanteerd om voorbij de ‘smalle’ businesscase van project- en gebiedsontwikkeling te kijken? Hoe zorg je voor een…

Innovatieve financieringsarrangementen bij stedelijke gebiedstransformaties

Experimenterend werken aan kansrijke innovatieve financieringsarrangementen als revolverende fondsen en gebiedsinvesteringszones. De huidige opgaven van gebiedstransformaties zijn onderling zo afhankelijk dat betrokken partijen niet zonder elkaar kunnen, ook wat betreft de financiering. We zoeken daarom naar nieuwe financieringsarrangementen waarbij publieke waarden met privaat rendement worden gecombineerd. Hoewel we moeten oppassen met te hoge verwachtingen, zijn…

Circling the square: Governance of the circular economy transition in the Amsterdam metropolitan area

Circular economy (CE), the new ‘buzzword’ in urban and regional studies and policy debates, is about shifting from a linear production process towards a circular one in which the generation of waste is minimised, materials circulate in ‘closed loops’, and waste is not considered a burden but rather a resource that brings new economic opportunities….

A typology of social entrepreneurs in bottom-up urban development

The emergence of organic planning practices in the Netherlands introduces new, non-conventional, local actors initiating bottom-up urban developments. Dissatisfied with conventional practices and using opportunities during the 2008 financial crisis, these actors aim to create social value, thus challenging prevailing institutions. Intrigued by such actors becoming more present and influential in urban planning and development…

Urban regions shifting to circular economy: Understanding challenges for new ways of governance

Urban areas account for around 50% of global solid waste generation. In the last decade, the European Union has supported numerous initiatives aiming at reducing waste generation by promoting shifts towards Circular Economy (CE) approaches. Governing this process has become imperative. This article focuses on the results of a governance analysis of six urban regions…

Interdisciplinary and experiential learning in urban development management education

To understand and deal with real urban development problems, urban planners, designers, and managers need to combine and synthesize a variety of academic and professional knowledge. As our urban challenges grow more complex, learning how to do this effectively becomes ever more important. For educators, this means teaching students how to work in interdisciplinary settings,…

Implementing energy policies in urban development projects

Governing climate mitigation is complex, as the recurring gap between policy intentions and actions exhibits. Interventions at the urban scale represent an opportunity to implement energy policy targets. Urban development projects can function as carrier to implement innovative energy solutions as ‘by-product’. To do so, planners must proactively and strategically deploy planning instruments to influence…

Forms of privatization in Dutch urban development

An unsolicited private proposal, a flexible masterplan and land-use plan, a quality team that overtakes the role of the public aesthetics commission, and private quality safeguarding for plan judgement and construction supervision. These instruments and agreements are used by housing association De Alliantie, the Municipality of Amsterdam, and other parties in the urban development project…