Standing at the Feet of Giants
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Standing at the feet of giants Location choices of entrepreneurs in informal workplaces Master Thesis Spatial Planning Nijmegen School of Management Peter Bakker Radboud University December 2017 Location choices of entrepreneurs in informal workplaces Colophon Description Master Thesis Spatial Planning Author P.S. Bakker Student number 4841875 Email [email protected] Date December 2017 Status Definitive Mentors J. Nijman (Municipality of Zaanstad) P. Beckers (Radboud University Nijmegen) Keywords Location choices, informal work locations, entrepreneurs, Zaanstad Image cover Own material – The fabric of Tate & Lyle towers above dwellings and a to be redeveloped building along the river in Koog aan de Zaan. 2 Preface When explaining the topic of my research the here were essential for the research. Besides, it first reaction usually was ‘Oh, so you are writing was nice to have pleasant company during the about people working in cafés and bars et process. Specifically I give many thanks to cetera?’. Unfortunately the answer to this Renée, who has spent hours helping me to question was negative as it might have been an create and send the survey. The response was ideal environment for ethnographic research. already after one hour above our expectations, Instead, most of this research has taken place for which I am very grateful. All entrepreneurs, behind a computer screen, with only a cup of all interviewees who had to cope with my coffee at arm’s length, at the city hall. Not that I sometimes clumsy interview style: Thanks a lot! needed it of course, the coffee, as you will soon I hope I have done justice to your input. find out that it is a very interesting subject. In Furthermore, I should thank Pascal for the fact, one fellow researcher (slightly more suggestions he made during the process. Your experienced) confided to me that this topic was insights definitely helped me to steer the his hobby. I still prefer football. research in a more satisfying direction. How satisfying it actually has become is now up to On a more serious note, I would like to thank you, reader. Jan and Elise for the opportunity to join the economic department of Zaanstad for a couple Enjoy! of months. The data and contacts I could collect Peter Bakker, Heerhugowaard, December 2017 3 Summary For long, policymakers focused on the formal to be obtained as a new mix of housing business estates. These were perceived the will be built – the higher educated are, settlement places of the engines of the local as Risselada and Folmer mentioned, economy. However, some sand has come into indeed more likely to start a business. these motors as the employment continues to Besides, the number of freelancers in decrease. Company closures or relocations and general is likely to increase. decay are the visible effects. At the same time, The location factors are relevant, but the employment outside these estates is hard to achieve given the market increasing considerably. The term ‘informal situation. The entrepreneurs in shared location’ is therefore more and more used, business premises explicitly mention without a clear understanding of all of its facets. advantages of being located within a The aim of this explorative thesis was therefore residential area. Nevertheless, to gain insight into the nature of developers and municipality together entrepreneurial activity, specifically focusing on seem to focus merely on the new location factors. This is researched in light of Hembrugterrein. the municipal goal of mixed-use development The location factors are relevant, but in Zaanstad, traditionally a municipality in mixed-use is not really the municipal which living and working are spatially aim. The positive entrepreneurs believe combined. that it will strengthen accessibility and visibility, that it could be a solution to In order to meet the research aim a survey vacancy and that it is part of the Zaanse design was created. Three methods were used: identity. The market situation can desk research to find the characteristics of however also be conducive in obtaining (businesses on) informal locations, structured the goal. In the retail areas the interviews for the location factors of concentration of shops is likely to entrepreneurs and focused interviews for increase due to vacancy, in the streets backgrounds, depth and policies. towards these areas though a fine grain could be obtained due to loosened It was soon found out that ‘the’ informal regulation on other types of business location does not exist. Therefore, three scales activities. were distinguished: the level of the unit For the future informal locations it is (entrepreneur at home), shared business furthermore clear that the addition of premise and the centers/‘city streets’/other. A housing is the main issue, which is not comparison was furthermore made to potential always in line with the existing business new informal locations: the business estates activities. within the city. It was found that the municipal The entrepreneur has a positive attitude to aim of mixed-use does not always steer on the mixed-use in general, based on other location factors. Several reasons were found: advantages than the municipal housing aim The location factors are less relevant in (vibrancy, less transaction costs). As relation to mixed-use. The decision to Sennett & Hemel argue: They have a work at home seems subordinate to the natural preference for mixed-use. The decision to start freelancing. The grain structural institutional factors created by of mixed-use therefore seems to be the government (policies relevant to the more influenced by for instance the mixed-use aim) and market are usually education level. Hence, even though preventing a finer grain of mixed-use with not explicitly mentioned in the more economic activity on the informal municipal policies, a finer grain is likely location however. 4 Table of Content 1. Introduction 6 1.1 Introduction 6 1.2 The research 7 1.3 Social relevance 8 1.4 Theoretical relevance 8 1.5 Reading guide 9 2. Theory 10 2.1 Introduction 10 2.2 Structure and agency 10 2.3 Grand location choice theories 10 2.4 Mixed-use development 12 2.5 Informal locations 13 2.6 Implementation of mixed-use development (on informal locations) 16 2.7 Conclusion and causal model 17 3. Methods 19 3.1 Strategy, design, case selection and methods 19 3.2 Reliability and validity 21 3.3 Ethics 22 4. Case description 23 4.1 Introduction 23 4.2 Basic characteristics of Zaanstad 23 4.3 Economic development in historical perspective 23 4.4 ‘Shrinking’ formal locations 25 4.5 Rationale economic policies 26 4.6 Thriving informal locations 27 4.7 Creating a monitoring framework / Description on quarter level 29 4.8 Conclusion 30 5. Results 31 5.1 Introduction 31 5.2 Home 31 5.3 Shared business premises 38 5.4 Centres, City Streets and Other 43 5.5 (Future) mixed-use on business estates within the city 47 6. Conclusion 52 6.1 Introduction 52 6.2 Main conclusions 52 6.3 Practical recommendations 56 6.4 Recommendations for further research 57 6.5 Evaluation 58 7. References 60 Appendices 71 I. Overview of formal locations 72 II. Overview of informal locations 75 III. Extra statistics 82 IV. Survey 89 V. Interviews 94 1. Introduction “IS IT NOT TIME?” – W.T. Stead 1.1 Introduction of the early 70s and the VINEX areas some Ever since James Thomson’s famous poem decades later do not particularly reflect this about the Victorian ‘city of dreadful night’, the new focus on mix (Nabielek, Kronberger- uncontrollably large, chaotic and unlivable Nabielek & Hamers, 2013). th industrial city of the 19 century, developers have shifted between the mixing of functions The Return of Mixed-use and strict separation (Thomson, 1880). Nowadays however, mixed use has returned again in the studybooks of urban planners and Naturally, it was recognized quickly that the consequently also in their policy documents. establishment of polluting factories among the Out of the loathed city of the 19th century, the new working class neighbourhoods was not element of ‘controlled chaos’ has grown. beneficial for the well-being of the citizens (Schoemaker, 2008). The emission and noise of An important and relatively new trend which the machinery easily penetrated into the small, explains this phenomenon for the most part is dark and badly maintained tenements. It was the settlement of entrepreneurs on informal publicly questioned how dangerous the city was work locations (Provincie Flevoland, 2015). for ones health (Hall, 2014). Despite these sad More companies are established outside the living conditions, the city continued to grow. existing business and office estates and the Reason enough for a small avant-garde of central shopping areas. Partially this concept is philantropists, journalists and medics to already well-known. Centuries ago families successfully address the problems (Ekkers & started their shops at home, selling the goods Helderman, 2010). ‘The bitter cry’ (as published they produced. Out of practical reasons, to in London by Stead and Mearns) was heard, reduce the costs, the own house was given an initially by the predecessors of the current extra commercial function. Freelancers housing associations and later on by the city (ZZP’ers) have therefore long been part of the builders as well (Hall, 2014). Via neatly drawn urban landscape. concepts such as Howard’s Garden Cities and Burnham’s City Beautiful, space was given a Apart from these lonely adventurers however function that would diminish negative there is also an increasing group of already externalities. Instead, social and economic established entrepreneurs who seem to order, segregation, would be enhanced. In the deliberately choose to ignore the carefully sixties, with the Swiss architect Le Corbusier as drafted municipal zones.