Jessica VERHEIJ, Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland
Planners worldwide are faced with the challenge to densify the existing built environment, while maintaining livability and environmental quality. The provision of open and accessible outdoor spaces is a crucial aspect for solving this puzzle, acknowledged as such by public policy and planning regulations (Madanipour, 2019). However, in the context of New Public Management, the provision of public goods is increasingly transferred to the private sector (Gerber, 2016). In the case of inner-city developments, the task to provide outdoor spaces, including public and green spaces, is often outsourced to the private developer. We therefore question to what extent this form of governance contributes to the provision of outdoor spaces as club goods rather than public goods (Webster & Lai, 2003). Stricto sensu, through club formation outdoor spaces are developed for a limited group of users willing to pay a fee for its management and maintenance, such as through rents or condominium fees. Exclusion of users outside the target group occurs through gating, as well as through more insidious ways such as surveillance, lack of accessibility, and a lack of public functions. Based on a neo-institutionalist approach (Gerber, Knoepfel, Nahrath, & Varone, 2009) we argue that local planning authorities can strategically intervene in the development process at various instances to prevent club formation. Based on empirical data collected through case-studies in Biel (Switzerland) and Utrecht (the Netherlands), we analyze the conditions of governance contributing to club formation of outdoor spaces in densification projects. Club formation being an attractive solution for private developers to ensure profitability, institutional mechanisms need to be put in place to safeguard the public interest beyond the planning and development phases. The intervention of local planning authorities is crucial to ensure that densification leads to more livable and inclusive urban spaces.
Mots clés : Densification|Project-Based Planning|New Public Management|Public Space
A103694JV