Changing public space

‘supply side’. This includes the local government but also such representatives of the private sector
as developers, investors, and other kinds of stakeholders. Can the development of secured and
themed public space be linked to the composition of the actors responsible for the production of
public space, and specifically to the participation of the private sector? In other words: What are
the effects of private-sector involvement in the redevelopment of urban public space in the Netherlands?
This third research question first requires insight in how the private sector is involved and for
what reasons (Section 9.4.1), before examining how this involvement has influenced the design
and management of public space in Dutch city centres (Section 9.4.2).
9.4.1 Objectives
The historical overview in Section 4.2 has shown that private-sector involvement in the
redevelopment of public space is not a recent phenomenon but has waxed and waned over the
centuries. In the past decade, we have entered a new stage in which the private sector has become
interested in the quality of public space because this can increase the value of its property.
Developers are mainly involved in the redevelopment process itself, while the investor plays a
leading role after the project is completed. Local authorities are interested in involving the private
sector in urban redevelopment projects, because they hope that this results in high-standard
public spaces that improve their image and competitive position. As such, local authorities
increasingly act in an entrepreneurial fashion. In essence, however, they are responsible for the
provision of public goods, including public space. Therefore, redevelopment is also carried out
simply because some of the spaces are financially or physically depreciated.
This dual municipal objective can also be distinguished in our case-study cities, for example
regarding the redevelopment of the Markt in ’s-Hertogenbosch. Parts of this central square are
in a depreciated condition and have not been upgraded since the 1970s. To improve this situation,
the square is currently being refurbished. However, it is also part of a comprehensive plan to
redevelop the entire centre and make the city more attractive in comparison to other cities
(Gemeente ’s-Hertogenbosch, 1993). Rotterdam, Dordrecht, and Enschede have redeveloped
their public spaces with similar entrepreneurial objectives. The cities experienced a decrease in
the number of visitors at the beginning of the 1990s. To turn the tide, their local governments
decided to formulate new urban policies: the 1985 and 1993 city centre plan of Rotterdam, the
1996 business plan of Dordrecht, and the 1996 city centre handbook of Enschede. The local
governments can also been seen as entrepreneurial because they involved the private sector in
these redevelopment projects. The Schouwburgplein, Grote Markt, Oude Markt, and Markt were
redesigned by the public sector itself (although it did call in the expertise of private designers).
Yet the Beurstraverse, Statenplein, Van Heekplein, and Loeffplein are the result of public-private
partnerships. Developers and investors became involved in these four so-called PPP squares
because the public-space redevelopment coincided with the construction of new buildings, which
they respectively developed and became owner of (Table 8.1).
In the future, the roles and objectives of the main participants are expected to become
more diffuse (Table 9.1). Interviews with the members of the advisory team (set up to guide
our research, see Section 5.3.2) but also previously mentioned publications (e.g., Ibelings, 2004;
Lohof & Reijndorp, 2006; AIR, 2007) have shown that the public and private sector increasingly
have similar roles and objectives. The local government has traditionally looked after the longterm
quality of public space. However, this typical long-term view of the public sector is fading
due to the societal dynamics described in Section 3.4. In contrast, the private sector – known for
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