The path to successful urban renewal: Current policy debates in the Netherlands

In Dutch urban renewal, we observe an implementation gap between dreaming and doing. Dutch national government recently proposed to focus urban renewal on more than 50 priority areas in the cities and to reduce urban renewal subsidies. It is not very likely that this policy will accelerate urban renewal. This contribution suggests a different approach: the formulation of an urban district vision shared by the sustainable stakeholders in those districts. If they can come to an agreement, they deserve housing association finance and public urban renewal support. By targeting the plans primarily on the social climbers in the urban districts involved, the city can keep their buying power within the city. Combining physical, social, economic and safety agendas and adopting a multi-functional orientation would seem to be a successful strategy.     

The lost history of urban renewal

Contrary to common understanding, the US government's policy of “urban renewal” was conceived as an alternative policy to slum clearance. Bitterly opposed to public housing, conservative housing‐industry trade associations sought a way to reform the urban redevelopment formula of clearance and public housing established in the Housing Act of 1949. In the early 1950s, the industry groups seized on citizens' neighborhood fix‐up efforts, particularly the Baltimore Plan, to conduct a national campaign to popularize code enforcement, rehabilitation, and private low‐cost housing development as methods to restore and stabilize city neighborhoods. At conferences organized by House and Home magazine and in the President's Advisory Committee on Government Housing Policies and Programs, the housing industry associations fashioned policies, now named “urban renewal,” which were codified in the Housing Act of 1954. But private industry's venture in urban policymaking failed in implementation. Home builders proved reluctant to participate in the new programs, public housing hung on, and hundreds of thousands of homes fell to the wrecking ball. As urban renewal became synonymous with slum clearance, neighborhoods continued to decline. In the end, ironically, housing rehabilitation reemerged as a populist tool for reviving the inner city.     

Comparing environmental impacts of renovated housing stock with new construction

When undertaking urban renewal projects, decisions must be made between housing maintenance with some minor interventions, and total housing redevelopment entailing the demolition of the existing stock and replacement with new houses. Simple renovations are only possible if the quality of the existing dwelling is sufficient to fulfil current needs. In most urban renewal districts in the Netherlands the existing stock does not meet these current needs. That is why large-scale demolition and the construction of new dwellings are undertaken. However, renovation-based strategies could offer more sustainable alternatives. A comparison of the environmental impacts is made between the renewal options of maintenance, consolidation, transformation, and redevelopment for two typical cases of Dutch urban renewal. The environmental effects are calculated using the Life Cycle Assessment method. Results are presented according to the following environmental effects: the quantities of material, the energy and water used, waste, and environmental impacts. The use of environmental impacts gives a more complete picture than the use of quantities. The transformation of the existing housing stock is found to be a much more environmentally efficient way to achieve the same result than are demolition and rebuilding. The embodied and operational energy use is also compared. Due to the relatively short lifetime of post-war dwellings, the embodied energy can amount to 30% of the total energy use. This means that it is worth using construction methods that reduce embodied energy and designing new buildings so that they are flexible.

Dans tout projet de rénovation urbaine, il convient de choisir entre l'entretien de l'habitat avec quelques interventions mineures et la démolition/reconstruction du parc immobilier existant. La simple rénovation n'est possible que si la qualité des logements en place suffit à répondre aux besoins présents. Aux Pays-Bas, dans la plupart des quartiers voués à être rénovés, le parc immobilier existant ne répond pas aux besoins exprimés. C'est pourquoi, on passe par des destructions à grande échelle avant de reconstruire de nouveaux logements. Or, les stratégies basées sur la rénovation pourraient proposer d'autres options plus durables. L'auteur compare l'impact sur l'environnement de plusieurs options de rénovation: maintenance, consolidation, transformation ou démolition/reconstruction à propos de deux cas types de rénovation urbaine aux Pays-Bas. Les effets sur l'environnement sont calculés selon la méthode de l'évaluation du cycle de vie. Les résultats sont présentés pour les effets suivants: quantités de matériaux, l'énergie et l'eau utilisées, les rejets et l'impact sur l'environnement. Ce dernier donne une image plus complète que l'utilisation des quantités. La transformation du parc immobilier existant apparaît comme une méthode beaucoup moins nocive sur le plan de l'environnement que la démolition/reconstruction pour arriver aux mêmes résultats. Cette étude compare également l'énergie intrinsèque et l'énergie opérationnelle utilisée. Du fait de la durée de vie relativement courte de l'habitat d'après-guerre, l'énergie intrinsèque peut représenter 30% de l'énergie utilisée totale. Il est donc intéressant d'avoir recours à des méthodes de construction qui réduisent l'énergie intrinsèque et de concevoir de nouveaux bâtiments dont une des caractéristiques est la souplesse.

Mots clés: impacts sur l'environnement, parc immobilier, évaluation du cycle de vie, rénovation, rénovation urbaine, durabilité urbaine, Pays-Bas     

浅谈我国旧城更新中的公众参与问题

通过对公众参与在城市规划中的兴起以及发展状况研究,结合我国旧城更新现状和存在的问题,借鉴国外公众参与旧城更新的成功经验,阐述了当今公众参与在我国旧城更新中的必要性,并进一步提出了加强旧城更新中公众参与的建议。     

The ambiguity of urban renewal in France: Between continuity and rupture

The term urban renewal was introduced in France in the Loi solidarité et renouvellement urbains (Loi SRU) of December 13th, 2000. Until then, terms like renovation, reconstruction, recycling or refurbishment were used to indicate similar phenomena. Is the introduction of a new term only an innovation in vocabulary, or does it imply new orientations, conceptions and practices? It appears that ever since its introduction in 2000, the notion of urban renewal has been subject to variations in its meaning and in its implementation. A double regime of urban renewal exists. On the one hand, there are the operations officially labelled as urban renewal, which benefit from central state subsidies. These operations aim at a social urban development, and almost exclusively concern the so-called quartiers sensibles, large high-rise housing estates in the banlieus. On the other hand, there are more market-driven, locally initiated and realised operations of regeneration of derelict and run-down areas of the city.     

唐山市既有建筑节能改造技术研究项目介绍

在对唐山市某小区既有建筑进行热工测试和居民调查的基础上,确定了节能改造的重点是外围护结构和供暖系统.对楼梯间改造的两种方案进行了对比以确定最终方案.测试了改造后的建筑并与参照建筑进行了对比,结果表明改造效果良好,可为寒冷地区的既有建筑节能改造提供借鉴.     

Renewing stigmatised estates in the Netherlands: A framework for image renewal strategies

Like in so many other European countries, the large housing estates of the post-World War II generation in the Netherlands did not fulfil the great and often Utopian expectations. Nowadays they are confronted with the effects of a negative image, a stigma. Images differ according to the persons asked for an opinion. Internal images, elicited from insiders, may overlap with external images but may also contradict them. The external image of many large estates accelerates their decay and lowers their reputation. All across Europe stigmatised large housing estates are subject to major renewal processes. The Amsterdam high-rise area of the Bijlmermeer is a good example. Once cheered by planners and politicians, later on criticised by inhabitants, avoided by outsiders and stigmatised by the media, the area is now an example of an impressive renewal programme. The question arises whether urban renewal will change a negative reputation. A stigma tends to stick, even after actual renewal activities are finished. Images of neighbourhoods can actively be promoted, just like a commercial product. Image promotion can be a supplementary strategy, which is seldom used in renewal processes. Which strategy would be the best depends on local circumstances, but strategies should be aimed at improving existing internal and external images. Image promotion may be directed to internal participants, to convince them the situation really is improving, or to outsiders, to promote the area and to counterbalance prejudices. Image promotion should not take the place of real improvements, but it is useful to work on a stigma and to give active image promotion explicit attention in any renewal process.     

Post-war urban renewal and demolition fluctuations in Sweden

In the decades following the Second World War, Swedish cities experienced extensive urban renewal projects that continue to shape the country’s contemporary built environment. Many Swedish cities saw large-scale demolitions starting in the 1950s. The demolitions increased during the 1960s and 1970s, when the government implemented the so-called Million Programme (1965–1974). The declared target of the housing policy was to raise housing standards, create healthy living conditions and lessen the housing shortage through the construction of modern housing. In the 1980s, the preservation and modernization of dwellings replaced the clearance policy. The 1990s brought a new demolition wave, which subsided in the 2000s. This paper reviews the renewal processes and various phases of demolition activity in Swedish post-war cities from the perspective of housing policy and planning. The research analysis is based on the literature and statistics.     

Renewing urban renewal in France,the UK and the Netherlands: Introduction

Three central questions are addressed in this ‘policy and practice’ special issue of the Journal of Housing and the Built Environment; the extent and the nature of changing approaches to urban renewal in France, the UK and the Netherlands; the effects this has on the articulation between public, private and civil actors; and the capacity of different actors to deal with their new roles and positions. This introduction compares the contributions to the special issue. A framework for this comparison is developed and then applied to the three countries under scrutiny. It appears that the objectives of urban renewal have not fundamentally changed. However, a common tendency towards greater involvement of local actors leads to more network-oriented types of co-ordination and thus influences the roles of both public and private actors. Notwithstanding this evolution, the central and crucial role of public actors in urban renewal persists.     

Community renewal and large public housing estates

The extent of social disadvantage in local neighbourhoods has come to the fore in recent years, partly as a result of the problems that State Housing Authorities have faced in managing the concentrations of socially marginalised populations on larger public housing estates. However, a wider understanding of the processes at play in these neighbourhoods is needed to inform policy development. We consider the evolution of local renewal policy in New South Wales at the present time and suggest potential policy options for the future.     

Community renewal and large public housing estates

Abstract

The extent of social disadvantage in local neighbourhoods has come to the fore in recent years, partly as a result of the problems that State Housing Authorities have faced in managing the concentrations of socially marginalised populations on larger public housing estates. However, a wider understanding of the processes at play in these neighbourhoods is needed to inform policy development. We consider the evolution of local renewal policy in New South Wales at the present time and suggest potential policy options for the future.     

社会价值目标下旧城更新中的景观改造初探

指出旧城更新历来是一个复杂而又值得探讨的问题,从社会价值目标角度出发,通过南京城南钓鱼台地区的案例,分析了旧城更新中的景观改造问题,并提出一些建议和思考,引申了景观在社会维度上的作用和意义。     

重庆某典型高等院校既有公共建筑节能改造项目探析

该文结合重庆某典型高等院校既有公共建筑节能改造示范项目的建设,全面总结了项目改造的技术路线,通过运行实测数据,分析了该项目的节能效益,特别对该项目运用的合同能源管理模式带来的社会经济效益进行了深入探讨,以期对类似改造项目具有一定的借鉴意义。     

城市更新过程中的可持续发展模式研究

生态城市与绿色建筑的概念提出以来,城市规划师与建筑设计师对大量新建项目的环境影响投入了极大的关注,却忽视了旧城更新与改造过程当中的建筑废弃物的因素。我国城市建筑废弃物现状的调查分析结果显示,建筑废弃物因处理不当会给环境带来严重的负面影响且特征明显。发达国家在处理城市建筑废弃物方面已经建立起一套有效的政策、法规以及处理方法,在借鉴这些成功经验的基础上,结合我国在这方面所做的一些尝试,分别在建筑物废弃物的治理原则、导向策略与技术措施等3个层次上提出了实现废弃物减量化、资源化和无害化的可持续发展模式。     

初探公众参与旧城更新改造的“民主化”之路

通过分析西方国家公众参与城市规划与运动的发展历程,并对我国近年来旧城更新改造中公众参与进行总结反思,提出建议,以期促进公众参与旧城更新改造的“民主化”道路进程。     

Uptake of energy efficiency interventions in English dwellings

Little detailed evidence has previously been available regarding the uptake rate or prevalence of energy efficiency interventions among specific household groups. This study uses the Home Energy Efficiency Database (HEED) to investigate both the combination of measures that have been installed, and in which dwellings, according to key neighbourhood socio-demographic variables, including income and tenure. Analysis of 2000–07 data indicates that approximately 40% (9.3 million) dwellings in England had approximately 23.7 million efficiency measures installed, with an average of 2.5 measures per dwelling. Building fabric-related measures were the most frequent (e.g. cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and glazing) with an average of 2.1 million installed each year. Dwellings with the highest number of fabric interventions (the top 20%) were more likely to be found in areas with low income, with more owner-occupied dwellings, experiencing lower winter temperatures, having a lower proportion of flats, and having a slightly higher proportion of older adults and children. Energy efficiency installations have tended to occur among specific types of households or parts of the building stock. These findings have implications for the design of future government programmes for targeting energy efficiency measures to specific household groups or dwelling types.     

Social implications of housing diversification in urban renewal: A review of recent literature

British and Dutch urban policies have advocated housing diversification and social mix in neighbourhoods subject to urban renewal. Question marks have been placed against the evidence base for the assumed social effects of diversification. This paper provides a review of research into the actual consequences of diversification in Great Britain and the Netherlands. After a brief policy discussion, the paper identifies five issues for which evidence is reviewed: housing quality and area reputation, neighbourhood-based social interactions, residential attitudes towards social mix, the role-model effect, and problem dilution. The review shows ambivalent results that necessitate modest expectations, especially with regard to area reputation, cross-tenure social interaction and residential attitudes. This ambivalence is partly due to unclear policy goals and policy terms as well as vagueness about the relevant spatial level. Moreover, the influence of tenure mix is often superseded by other, more important factors in residential satisfaction, such as lifestyle. The paper also argues that positive role-model effects in neighbourhoods have not yet been adequately studied and therefore remain based on conviction.     

城市更新与历史文脉保护并行

针对目前国内城市旧城改造过程中出现的一些问题,提出城市更新与历史文脉保护并不矛盾,并对旧城改建工作提出了一些建议,指出城市更新应与历史文脉保护并行,从而创建富有中国特色的现代城市。