Changing public space

and agency as complementary forces ( Jary & Jary, 1991). By seeking to investigate the particular
role of the actors involved in the redevelopment of public space, the present author falls into the
second category.
According to Miles and Huberman (1984, in: Silverman, 2000: 88), “… knowing what you
want to find out leads inexorably to the question of how you will get that information …”. The
previous section outlined the research questions that are addressed in this thesis. To answer
them, multiple sources of data (e.g., academic literature, interviews, policy documents) as well
as multiple research methods (e.g., focus group meetings, observation) have been used. This is
also known as data- and method-triangulation (Braster, 2000). The different data sources and
research methods are briefly listed below; they are described in more depth in Chapter 5, which
serves as an intermezzo between the theoretical (Chapter 2-4) and the empirical parts of the
thesis (Chapter 6-8). There are five main sources and methods used in the research:
1. Literature review (Chapter 2 to 4): a large number of international academic publications
have been consulted. The reference list can be found at the end of the thesis.
2. Document analysis (Chapter 6 to 8): policy documents and other relevant information on the
selected cases have been analysed. These can also be found in the reference list.
3. Observation: both the theoretical and empirical part of the thesis are partly based on the
author’s observation of public space, both in the Netherlands and abroad.
4. Input from advisory team: both the theoretical and empirical part of the thesis are partly
based on input from a group of experts. The advisory team consisted of both public and
private sector actors and had been set up to guide the research. Appendix A provides a list
of the nine participants, including two local government representatives, two developers, two
investors, a real estate manager, a landscape architect, and an academic researcher. The team
has been involved in two ways: via individual in-depth interviews, and in four focus group
meetings. Focus group meetings are gatherings between four and eight individuals who are
brought together to discuss a particular topic chosen by the researcher who moderates or
structures the discussion (Bedford & Burgess, 2001). More information on the selection and
backgrounds of the participants and on the content of the focus group meetings and the
interviews is provided in Section 5.3.2.
5. Semi-structured interviews (Chapter 6 to 8): the main sources of information in the
empirical chapters were in-depth interviews with 38 actors involved in the redevelopment
of the selected redevelopment projects. Appendix A also contains a list of these respondents,
including their function and the date and location of the interviews. The conversations have
been taped, transcribed, and analysed (this also applies to the interviews and focus group
meetings with the advisory team). More information on the respondents can be found in
Section 5.3.1. The research methods as well as the selected cases are elaborated in Chapter 5.
1.6 Academic and social relevance
The large amount of international literature on urban public space implies that much is known
on the subject. However, there are still areas that are relatively underexposed. Research on public
space has often focused on the users, either in general (e.g., Van Aalst & Ennen, 2001; Müller,
2002; Pasaogullari & Doratli, 2004; Mean & Tims, 2005; Stevens, 2007) or directed at certain
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