challenge the future delft university of technology emerging strategy in large urban development...

Challenge the future

DelftUniversity ofTechnology

Emerging Strategy in Large Urban Development Projects Real Estate Development Projects in the Mainport and the Brainport of the Netherlands Wouter Jan Verheul & Tom Daamen

2Emergent Strategy in Real Estate Development

Classifying a Platypus


Planning to Achieve or Avoid?

“In recent years, the neat separation between public and

private sector development has begun to break down. [If]

planners wish to do more than merely frustrate development,

they must increasingly rely on implementation agents in the

private and voluntary sector. […] In this context, capacity building

requires greater trust, mutual respect, and a willingness to

work together in partnership to achieve mutually beneficial and

desirable outcomes.”

Adams & Tiesdell (2010: 201)


Positioning our research ‘field’

SociologySociology EconomicsEconomics GeographyGeography

Management Management SciencesSciences

Politics & PolicyPolitics & PolicySciencesSciences

Real EstateReal Estate Spatial Spatial Planning & Law Planning & Law

Architecture & Architecture & UrbanismUrbanism

Management of Urban

Development Projects

Fields of Research


Our Paper

• Studying real estate projects ‘from concept to concrete’

• Trying to understand the relationship between policy programs and the actual realisation of projects – two cases

• Relating what is actually done in these processes to what theoretically should be done

• Deconstruct and (re-)conceptualise the management process behind contemporary large-scale real estate projects.


Beyond ‘blue print’ planning

1. Hierarchical, machine-like control2. Objective, scientific determination3. Linear processes, means-ends thinking4. Deliberate action, plan ‘implementation’

regardless of context.

Rational, modernist principles in planning thought


“Climb the ‘central plateau’ from which an ideal, objective

observer can discern what is best for society. Standing

there, be confident that disciplined forethought will make

society’s collective actions more rational, its judgments

more principled, and its future more subjective to human

control. Wipe the slate clean and ‘make it new’, all in the

name of Progress, Order, and Reason’

(Throgmorton, 1996: 3).



1. Collaborative efforts, interdependency2. Subjective narratives, persuasive

argumentation3. Non-linear processes, path dependencies 4. Emergent actions without goals, context-

dependency

Ideas and concepts in contemporary planning thought



Source: Mintzberg, Ahlstrand & Lampel (1998)

Deliberate and emergent decisions and actions


Main Research Question

How – if not in a linear, centralist way – are connections

actually made between abstract urban policy programs and

specific real estate development projects?

Or in discursive terms:

How do the ‘micro narratives’ of projects get connected to the

‘macro narratives’ of urban policy programs?


High Tech Campus Eindhoven


Analysis High Tech Campus case

Time+/-

Micro-narrativeHigh Tech Campus

Master-narrativeCity of Eindhoven

1995 Need for laboratory extension Philips

Post-industrial identity crisis

1996 Inner-city location for laboratory?

Growing distance between city and Philips

1997 Valley outside the city? Opposition of environmental lobby

1998 Head office Philips to Amsterdam

Smartcity approach

2000 Open innovation model Triple helix paradigm

2001 Third parties at campus Brainport Eindhoven

2005 Open, green, flexible campus Brainport with new icon


High Tech Campus Eindhoven


RDM Campus Rotterdam


Analysis RDM Campus caseTime+/-

Micro-narrativeRDM Campus

Master-narrativePort City of Rotterdam

2000 - Diversify economy (not just port industry) plus a flourishing city

2002 New working and living environment in the city

-

2004 Development company occupies RDM head office building

Port contribution to urban living environment? Workforce!

2005 Enclave to become ‘Research Design and Manufacturing’ center

City of ‘enterprise and living’

2006 Start development RDM Campus

Five priority areas incl. CityPorts

2007 CityPorts renegotiated. RDM project continues.

Strenthen Mainport position. Strong economy, attractive city.

2008 RDM agreement (€20-22M) -


RDM Campus Rotterdam


Conclusions

• Local authorities are not THE inventors of a master-narrtive for urban development;

• Policy programs and concrete projects are developed simultaneously and inter-active;

• Results always different then in first instance;

• Rational step-by-step approach too narrow; development processes are circular and emergent;

• Progression is made when policy programs and concrete projects are connected;


Implications (1)

• Context awareness;

• Adaptive strategic thinking;

• A double focus: staying goal-oriented while seizing opportunities;

• Forging ‘discourse-coalitions’.

An emerging development strategy perspective implies…


Pro-active Re-active

Consolidation

Revision

Connecting micro and master narratives: a conceptualisation

Implications (2)


Tom [email protected]+31639251310

Wouter Jan [email protected]

+31618635623

challenge the future delft university of technology emerging strategy in large urban development...

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