Changing public space

its short-term participation – is involved for a longer period of time. Consequently, it becomes
more interested in the quality and use of public space. Intersecting interests arise: municipal
governments aim to capture capital flows, while developers and investors want to diversify their
portfolio structure and seek investment opportunities.
Not only the division of labour between the public and private sector becomes more diffuse,
but also the roles of the private sector itself. The developer is expected to have a stronger
presence in the post-redevelopment phase, while the private investor will become increasingly
active during the early stages of redevelopment. Investors get involved earlier, thereby reassuring
property developers that they will be able to sell the finished structure. Ties with investors can
also assure developers of higher prices, since investors tend to pay more if they can influence
the outcome. Moreover, investors can assist developers with designing buildings and public
spaces. Crucially, they often have more practical experience with property management and
maintenance. This experience has even induced some investors to take on the redevelopment
themselves using in-house staff. The opposite is also occurring, as some developers decide to not
sell their project after completion but manage it themselves. As a result of the changing roles of
actors involved in public-space redevelopment, the co-operation between the local government
and the private sector is expected to shift from unicentric to pluricentric (Table 9.1). In this future
situation, the actors have parallel interests and none of them is dominant in the redevelopment
process.
However, this expectation is not confirmed by our empirical results; the four PPP research
objects in which the private sector was involved show no signs of this transition. It is true that
the municipal authorities of the case-study cities have shared tasks in the different stages of
redevelopment and are no longer the only actor responsible for public space (see Tables 8.2-8.4).
But the roles of the developer and investor still prove to be rather traditional. The developer is
mainly active in the (re)development phase, the investor after the (re)development is finished.
There are some exceptions such as the investors who (re)developed their own property at the
Table 9.1 Changing roles of actors involved in public-space redevelopment
Stage Actors Past/present (unicentric) Future (pluricentric)
During (re)
development
After (re)
development
Municipality
Responsible for development
of public space
Still often initiator of development of public
space, but not necessarily the only responsible
actor
Responsible for development of buildings and
increasingly of public space
Developer Responsible for development
of buildings
Investor Not actively involved Sometimes involved as developer, expert,
principal or financier (in case of future
ownership)
Municipality Responsible for the
management of public space
Responsible for the management of public
space, sometimes in co-operation with other
organisations (e.g., civil safety guards, police,
private security companies)
Developer Not actively involved Sometimes involved as manager of buildings
Investor
Responsible for the
management of buildings
Responsible for the management of buildings
and increasingly of public space
Source: Interviews with advisory team, 2005
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