Changing public space

9 Conclusions, reflections, and implications
Space (…) does not simply exist as a ‘given’ but affects (and is affected by) things which are
always becoming. Or, to put it another way, space is not just a passive back-drop to human
behaviour and social action, but is constantly produced and remade within complex relations of
culture, power, and difference. Hubbard (2001: 51, original emphasis)
9.1 Introduction
Public spaces in Dutch city centres are increasingly subject to facelifts. The car parking
that dominated city squares until the 1980s has been removed and replaced by modern street
furniture, city stages, and an abundance of sidewalk cafés. At the same time, public spaces are
more controlled by camera surveillance and strict regulation. These changes in the urban design
and management of public space are not skin-deep, but can be seen as expressions of functional
changes that originate from and have consequences for social change. Why and how do these
makeovers occur? It has been the central aim of the present study to answer this question; that is,
to elucidate the social antecedents (background) of the redevelopment of Dutch city squares and
to chart its course (process).
To this end, we have portrayed the historical development and the main current trends in
the design and management of Dutch public space in Chapter 2 and 3. In addition, we have
investigated the increasing involvement of the private sector in redevelopment processes and
have explored to what extent this might affect the design and management of public space
(Chapter 4). Through this actor approach, the thesis complements the main body of public-space
literature, which tends to focus on the users (the ‘demand side’) rather than reviewing the role
and objectives of the responsible actors (the ‘supply side’). The empirical section (Chapter 6-8)
outlined the results of case-study research performed in the city centres of Rotterdam, Dordrecht,
Enschede, and ’s-Hertogenbosch. In each of these four cases, the redevelopment of two research
objects has been investigated: respectively the Schouwburgplein and Beurstraverse, the Grote
Markt and Statenplein, the Oude Markt and Van Heekplein, and the Markt and Loeffplein.
This final chapter summarises and interprets the main findings by elaborating on the
metaphor of the city as urban organism. Sections 9.2 through 9.4 present the main conclusions
and reflections in relation to the three research questions formulated in Section 1.4. Lastly, we
evaluate what the implications of these findings are regarding urban policy (Section 1.5) and
future public-space research (Section 1.6).
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