The Evaluation of Urban Regeneration Processes

Abstract

The conditions why processes of urban regeneration can be developed in modern-day cities have changed enormously over the last decade. Unlike the recent past, where the reuse for urban uses of former industrial areas was only based on maximising the amount of space, after the housing bubble begun in 2008, the profit margins for operators were reduced, and today, they faced to a sharp contraction in demand and a surplus of supply. Consequently, the framework within which we carry out the investment decisions is increasingly complex and is characterised by the opposition of a potential conflict between two forces. On the one hand, the public administration which seeks to take full advantage of the urban transformation processes to improve the quality of live for citizens; on the other, the private entity that has the aim of maximising the profits obtainable from the intervention and to the minimise business risk. Therefore, to ensure the overall feasibility of an intervention, urban viability must correspond to an economic and financial sustainability. The paper analyses the role of the economic evaluation in urban regeneration interventions through the analysis of a case study in the city of Genoa.

The Importance of the Participatory Dimension in Urban Resilience Improvement Processes

“…Effective social management demands the definition and development of the participatory dimension of the urban regeneration processes and its inclusion in specific actions, consolidating citizen involvement as a fact as well as a need, and developing the necessary tools to implement these processes. This way, citizen participation can be a positive turning point between the economic interests of business entities around urban development and governmental objectives related to urban space qualification and the improvement of citizens' life quality, which may tip the balance in the conflict between these two forces [6] (p. 47). It is also necessary to make the most of these conflict of interests situations [5], promoting their role of articulating and catalysing improvement in the city.…”

Enhancing the Sustainability of Social Housing Policies through the Social Impact Approach: Innovative Perspectives form a “Paris Affordable Housing Challenge” Project in France

“…In this sense, the recent experiments of mixed evaluation models [8] could support both the decision-making process, test the financial levers (SROI) and indicate impacts and benefits not only for the investor but also for all stakeholders, according to the theories of the Stakeholder Approach and Corporate Social Citizenship.…”

“…The theme is closely connected to the urban regeneration processes and to the investment policies, which, following the real estate bubble started in 2008, have witnessed a drastic reduction in profit margins and a contraction in demand in the face of excess offerings [8,9]. The complexity, therefore, also falls on the investment decision models, in which the gap between the two points of view of the promoters of a different nature is evident.…”

“…In Italy, the discussion on the reform of the Public Works (OO PP) is ongoing and the new reforms promoted by the Codice degli Appalti have long be debated [36]. The SH sector is certainly influenced by these issues: in particular, a question that is emerging in this context is whether public-private partnerships (also performed according to new models [2,8,9,37,38]) may constitute a partial solution to the above mentioned problems.…”

Spatial Differentiation of the Socio-Economic Development of Poland–“Invisible” Historical Heritage

“…In a partial approach, developmental changes are described via indicators that characterize mainly their economic dimensions, which are gradually and asymmetrically extrapolated onto other aspects [15]. They include, for example: demographic determinants [16], environmental determinants [17], settlement determinants [18], and land use determinants [19]. Choice of indicators can always be criticized for the lack of comprehensiveness of the findings.…”