Tackling urban transition in public space Exploring an integrated policy arrangements of managing public space in Dutch municipalities MSc Spatial Planning | Eva Duivenvoorden BSc Colophon Author: Eva Duivenvoorden Student number 950928203030 Email:
[email protected] Course: MSc Thesis Spatial Planning Date: June 2020 Supervisor: dr. T (Thomas) Hartmann Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning Group Phone: +31 317 486187 Fax: +31 317 419000 Postbus 47 6700 AA, Wageningen The Netherlands Duivenvoorden, E. (2020) Tackling urban transition in public space. Exploring integrated policy arrangements of managing public space in Dutch municipalities. Wageningen University & Research I Abstract Urban areas face major transitions concerning mobility, climate adaptation, energy, and a circular economy. These transitions require changes in public space – above- and belowground – in terms of infrastructure, buildings, and urban design. This not only applies to newly developed or redeveloping areas, but in particular changes are needed in the existing urban realm. The existing urban realm, however, is a blind spot of in most spatial planning and urban design approaches, and management of public space is mostly left to fragmented sectors within urban administrations, instead of an integrated approach. While in spatial planning and urban design, an integrated approach to urban transitions is much discussed, the integrated management of public space in existing urban areas remains underexplored. As result of this, the complex and interdependent urban transitions are hampered by the existing policy arrangement of managing public space. An integral approach of managing public space, however, implies fundamental shifts in the existing policy arrangement. This study explores this challenge by first gaining knowledge of the existing policy arrangement of managing public space in Dutch cities before identifying constraints and challenges to tackle urban transition.