Contractual arrangements and entrepreneurial governance: Flexibility and leeway in urban regeneration projects

Abstract

Urban regeneration projects involve complex contractual deals between public- and private-sector actors. Critics contend that contracts hamper opportunities for flexibility and change in these projects due to strict provisions that are incorporated in legal agreements. This article offers contrary empirical insights based on a study of contractual arrangements for urban regeneration projects in the Netherlands, including an analysis of interviews and confidential documents. It zooms in on provisions on safeguarding and adaptation, finding that urban regeneration projects remain receptive to flexibility and change. Public-sector actors use their room to manoeuvre while operating contracts, seeking to secure social relations and keep projects going. This article taps into data sources that are difficult to access, addressing what is included in contracts and how they are used by practitioners, and presents questions for future research on contracts in the urban built environment.

Private ordering of public processes: How contracts structure participatory processes in urban development in Amsterdam and Hamburg

“…However, thirdly, contrary to the research of van den Hurk and Tasan-Kok (2020) which focused on contracts between developers and municipalities, this research examined participatory processes. The flexibility of contracts provided opportunities for residents to adjust agreements, but also made the position of residents precarious.…”

“…Nevertheless, secondly, this study has shown that agreements can be adjusted. As van den Hurk and Tasan-Kok (2020) showed in their research on contracts between municipalities and developers, contracts are flexible tools. Non-legal agreements in Oostenburg-Noord and Neue Mitte Altona helped to deliver outcomes of participatory processes.…”

“…Although contracts have always played an important role in the field of urban development, their importance has gained traction at the cost of public law since the 1980s. For instance, urban development projects are realised in partnerships regulated through contracts (Raco, 2013; van den Hurk and Tasan-Kok, 2020; van der Veen and Korthals Altes, 2012). Consequently, participatory processes have become an integral part of urban development and urban politics (Levine, 2017; Walker et al, 2015).…”

The divergent logics of urban regeneration in Israel: A neoliberal toolkit and national rationales

“…Whereas the outcomes of neoliberal urban regeneration have taken centre stage, another strand of research has shed light on the changing relationship between the state and the market. In many places around the globe, urban regeneration projects rely heavily on public–private partnerships (Couch et al, 2011; Unsal, 2015; van Den Hurk and Tasan-Kok, 2020). Cities have adopted entrepreneurial mechanisms to ‘make costly redevelopment projects “pay for themselves”’ (Weber, 2002: 537).…”

Redes de políticas en el marco de la Agenda Urbana para la UE. La influencia de las coaliciones temáticas en la politización de la toma de decisiones a escala europea

“…En un sentido más amplio, las razones que justifican el interés de la política urbana europea son varias. Primero, la novedad del tema, puesto que hasta hace poco la política urbana entendida como una política explícita de o para las ciudades estaba presente en la agenda política de pocos países (Van der Berg et al, 2018). Segundo, se trata de una política relevante por su potencial alcance, puesto que más del 70 % de los ciudadanos europeos vive en ciudades.…”