The “re-meaning” of project success: Updating and recalibrating for a modern project management

Decades of research demonstrate that practitioners and scholars may have only a vague notion of what project success is and thus settle for conflicting or inaccurate attributions of this still-elusive phenomenon. Stakeholder evaluations may differ as multiple groups and coalitions seldom hold the same viewpoint. A project that meets business expectations may have unintended consequences on society, highlighting the importance of sustainability. Thus, it remains challenging to devise a parsimonious success model that key stakeholders, internal and external, can minimally agree upon. This paper updates, recalibrates and further “complexifies” project success based on four multidimensionality sources: benefits realization, stakeholder perceptions, issues of timing, and sustainability. The paper proposes a four-dimensional model of success to assess project plan success, business case success, and green efficacy, along with the shared feeling of key stakeholders. The paper concludes with an agenda highlighting future research to further our understanding of the project success phenomenon.     

The plan as a colonization project: the medina of Tlemcen under French rule, 1842–1920

In the nineteenth century, Algerian cities were the first medinas in the Arab world to be colonized by a European power. Tlemcen, a medieval medina involved in this historical event, was marked by a relentless struggle on the part of the French administration to transform it into a city conforming to modern standards. The antagonism between two urban systems – the ‘Islamic city’ and the modern city – takes a problematic form when confronted with urban interventions that had colonizing aims. This paper will argue that the plan of the colonial city introduced a new order, subjecting the medieval medina within a set/subset relationship. Through urban subordination, the French military–civil administration used the plan layout as an instrument to control and dominate the medina of Tlemcen. In order to verify this hypothesis, a thorough study of documents dating from the early years of the French occupation was undertaken; thus, this paper is constructed as an urban study, based on a historico-morphological approach.     

The effect of leader emotional intelligence on leader–follower chemistry: a study of construction project managers

Extending Nicolini’s notion of project ‘chemistry’, a ‘leader–follower chemistry’ model associated with the quality of dyadic interpersonal communication in construction projects is developed. The focus is on the project manager as leader in an attempt to deepen understanding of the effect of a project manager’s emotional intelligence (EI) on the quality of interpersonal communication with their followers, being other members of the project team. While a project manager’s EI, with its associated emotional competencies, is often seen as critical in achieving good relationships with members of the project team, it remains a largely understudied concept, particularly in construction projects. Primary data collected using a series of analytical surveys and live observations of site-based project meetings was used to examine the relationship between a project manager’s emotional competencies, particularly sensitivity and expressiveness, and leader–follower chemistry. Overall, 68 construction professionals participated in the study. The findings suggest that a project manager’s emotional sensitivity and expressiveness (particularly head gestures) may explain variance in the quality of leader–follower chemistry. Based on the empirical evidence in the context of team communication, a leader–follower chemistry model is introduced, which emphasizes the importance of leaders’ emotional sensitivity and expressiveness in a leader–follower communication dyad. The model may be particularly salient in complex project networks with a large number of prominent actors.     

The Ten‐Year Plan for the port of Antwerp (1956–1965): a linear city along the river

The Ten‐Year Plan for the port of Antwerp (1956–1965) funded the expansion of the port’s infrastructure over a 10‐year period. Strictly, a national government‐funded infrastructure programme for the construction of a set of canal docks, the programme laid the basis for a broader urbanization of the north‐eastern Antwerp metropolitan region. The importance of the operation lies primarily in its role as an instrument of urbanization rather than in the improvement of the transport and transshipment capacity of the port because it opened up a large territory to industrial settlement. The linear layout of the project along the Scheldt River led planners to conceive the further urbanization of the adjacent region on a linear city model, with satellite communities attached to the industrial and infrastructural strip. Compared with the contemporary Europoort plan for the port of Rotterdam, where several planning agencies implemented conflicting plans for functionally distinct infrastructures and the construction of a new town, the success of the Antwerp approach resides in the flexible and strategic implementation of the project as a co‐production between various authorities and private parties.     

Possibilities and limits of brand repositioning for a second-ranked city: The case of Brisbane,Australia's “New World City”, 1979–2013

This article examines the role of city brand repositioning in the economic and sociological transformation of a second-ranked city, developing a conceptual framework that identifies the possibilities and limits of city brand repositioning to enhance a city's global status and reputation. Brisbane, a second-ranked Australian city, is selected to study the influence of city brand repositioning on the process of urban transformation over a 34 year period from 1979 to 2013. The findings of this historical analysis highlight the efficacy of targeted rebranding campaigns and incentives for different market segments (i.e. tourism, investment, education). In particular, positive demographic and economic outcomes for the city were associated with real and psychological repositioning of the city brand. These repositioning strategies communicated substantive changes in the city's demographic and industrial structure, underpinned by multi-level government policies and programmes to cultivate a few globally connected clusters where the city could be competitive – tertiary education and professional, scientific and technical services – both within Australia and globally.     

The “neighborhood unit” on trial: a case study in the impacts of urban morphology

The organization of modern city planning into “neighborhood units” – most commonly associated with the Clarence Perry proposal of 1929 – has been enormously influential in the evolution of modern city form, and at the same time has also been the subject of intense controversy and debate that continues to the present day. New issues under debate include social and economic diversity, maintenance of viable pedestrian and public transit modes, viability of internalized community service hubs, and efficient use of energy and natural resources, including greenhouse gas emissions. We trace the history of this controversy up to the present day, and we discuss new developments that may point the way to needed reforms of best practice.     

Between modernization and identity: colonial social housing as a specific theoretico-practical corpus of colonial architecture – the case of Tetouan (Morocco, 1912–1956)

From the beginning of Spain's occupation of northern Morocco (1912–1956), the urban planning of the colonial government gave rise to an urban periphery of slums and squatter settlements outside the planned city. Aware of its responsibility, the Spanish colonial government developed a social housing policy which aimed to ensure decent housing for all families, while acting as propaganda that symbolized the modernization promoted by the colonial power. The colonial housing was reserved for Spanish and Moroccan officials and for families unable to access decent housing within the private system. In the case of Spain, technically and financially limited as a colonial power, this action cannot be regarded as a comprehensive state policy responding to all real social needs. Nevertheless, it did constitute a major theoretical and practical advancement in thinking about the modernization of Moroccan housing, and a corpus of the colonial architecture in and of itself. This was a unique development when compared with that of other colonies, particularly French Morocco, with its noticeably smaller and less rational development. In order to analyse the colonial social housing in northern Morocco, the case chosen is that of Tetouan, the political and economic capital.     

The effect of the proportion of thin film transistor–liquid crystal display (TFT–LCD) optical waste glass as a partial substitute for cement in cement mortar

In the high-tech industry in Taiwan, the use of LCD glass products have increased significantly in recent years, which produces a large amount of waste LCD glass during the manufacturing process. This study is based on the 0.485 w/b and 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% substitution amount to discuss the effect of glass powder proportions on cement in cement mortar. The research found that of cement mortar by the waste liquid crystal glass powder substitution cement, along with the substitution quantity increase, the set time decreases progressively also the compressive strength gradually reduces. A 10% substitution amount is considered the best in durability tests involving sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfate, and concentrated sulfuric acid resistance. According to the microstructure, the internal structure of the mortar body appears rather dense on the 28th day. Thus, this compound can be used as a substitute for cement and achieve goals of resource development and utilization as well as environmental protection.     

The reconstruction of housing in Palestine 1993–2000: a case study from the Gaza Strip

In the Palestinian Territories, housing is thought to be amongst the most difficult problems facing the National Authority (PNA) (Al‐Agha, 1997 Al‐Agha Z (1997) A national outlook for housing in Palestine in: A. B. Zahlan (Ed.) Reconstruction of Palestine, Urban and Rural Development (London, Kegan Paul)  [Google Scholar], p. 3). Increased Israeli settlements, the large size of Palestinian families, the deteriorating economic situation, the lack of national banks operating in the field of housing, the presence of refugee settlements containing over 1.2 million people, the Israeli state's policy of residential demolition and land confiscation have all combined to present a severe obstacle to urban reconstruction in the region. In an attempt to address these issues and to make some progress towards realising the estimated 180 000 housing units required by the Palestinian people, the Palestinian Housing Council (PHC) was established in 1992 (Abd Alhadi, 1994 Abd Alhadi, R (1994) Construction and Housing in the West Bank and (Gaza) Strip (Geneva, United Nations Commission on Trade and Development)  [Google Scholar]; Ziara, 1997 Ziara M (1997) The Palestinian Ministry of Housing. Challenging and opportunities in A. B. Zahlan (ed.) Reconstruction of Palestine, Urban and Rural Development (London, Kegan Paul)  [Google Scholar]). Although it has had some success, the organisation has been plagued by reports of internal dissent and disputes with its beneficiaries. This paper seeks to cast some light on these controversies by focusing on the PHC's role in the Elkarama Housing Project in the Gaza Strip during the period 1993 to 2000.1 Here it must be emphasised that this paper does not claim to provide an analysis of the current situation in Gaza. The authors acknowledge that conditions in Palestine are extremely fluid and have, to a great degree, overtaken the issues considered above. In examining this rapidly‐evolving environment, however, it is valuable to reflect upon recent changes and, while recognising the acute systemic problems that Palestinian administrators face, to offer critical assessments of domestic policy decisions and their outcome. View all notes It will first outline the broader context in which public institutions within the Gaza Strip operate before offering an account of the structure and background of the PHC. It will then consider Elkarama itself and will conclude by summing up the various factors that have determined the project's outcome. Finally, the paper will offer some tentative recommendations for improved housing provisions within the Gaza Strip in the future.     

Rethinking the mechanism of the social impact assessment with the ‘right to the city’ concept: a case study of the Blue House Revitalization Project in Hong Kong (2006–2012)

Over the past two decades, urban renewal has become a major means to increase the efficiency of land production in Hong Kong (HK). Although the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) and Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) have introduced the social impact assessment (SIA) mechanism to mitigate the social impact of renewal projects, social conflicts have intensified between affected residents and the URA/HKHA. To what extent can SIA effectively mitigate the social impacts of urban renewal in HK? To answer this question, the author draws on a mixture of empirical and secondary materials to analyse the development, assessment procedures, and report format of SIA in HK as a basis to evaluate the challenges of this mechanism. Then the author goes on to critically analyse how thinking on ‘right to the city’ and affected residents’ comments come together to inform reflections on SIA in HK. The author argues that the SIA mechanism in HK remains technocratic in nature because it does not function effectively in addressing the needs of affected residents and resolving the deep-rooted conflicts between residents’ right of living and pro-growth development.     

The 1968 Tehran master plan and the politics of planning development in Iran (1945–1979)

ABSTRACT

This paper traces the relationship between state development policies and planning Tehran’s urban development from 1945 until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It shows how the geopolitical context of the Cold War, and the political agendas of multilateral and bilateral development agencies (i.e. the World Bank and the Ford Foundation), together with the specific circumstances of the national modernization of Iran, were decisive in shaping the Iranian planning administration and the emergence of a comprehensive master planning approach. Moreover, this study demonstrates the critical role of the Iranian technocratic elite and professional middle class in establishing planning institutions and advocating for a vision of progress and development. The focus here is on the formation of the ‘Plan Organization’ as the first modern planning institution in Iran, and the ways in which this institution played a key role in shaping Iranian expert culture and urban planning practices. By examining the links between national development policies and urban planning, this paper presents how comprehensive master planning emerged as the preferred model for the planning and development of Iranian cities. The focus here is on the design and implementation of Tehran’s 1968 Comprehensive Master Plan.     

Sustaining area-based initiatives by developing appropriate “anchors”: the role of social capital

This paper focuses on “anchoring”, understood as the process of building project-based organizational networks, or “anchors”, in order to sustain the efforts of area-based initiatives (ABIs) after they leave their targeted neighbourhoods. Drawing on the scholarly literature on social capital and an empirical examination of three different cases from an ABI in Copenhagen, the paper highlights why and how particular models of “anchors” develop in specific local contexts. We conclude by emphasizing the value of the lens of social capital, particularly, in the ABIs’ strategic efforts towards “anchoring”.     

Community participation as a tool for conservation planning and historic preservation: the case of “Community As A Campus” (CAAC)

The objective of this article is to examine a community planning approach to urban conservation and rehabilitation. In Chicago, like in many other cities across the USA, there has been an unequal distribution of school closures in minority neighbourhoods with higher than average poverty rates. The closure of school buildings, most with historical value, has destabilizing effects in communities, including the loss of public assets, vacancies, and disinvestment. In neighbourhoods experiencing rent increases, such as with Humboldt Park, the use of historic properties can provide an opportunity to develop affordable housing and avoid displacement. This case study seeks to demonstrate how a grassroots organization in a gentrifying neighbourhood created their own participatory planning process to obtain a surplus school building and reuse it as a “teacher’s village”. The reuse plan includes affordable housing targeted primarily at school teachers, office space dedicated to educational-community-related uses, a café open to the public, and a number of other amenities. The overall development plan seeks to make significant upgrades to allow the building to operate sustainably for years to come. The building is expected to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places and will require a unique and sensitive approach to creating an inspiring, collaborative, and community-oriented development. The methodology employed in this article is based on Participatory Action Research and includes field notes and interviews. The researcher engaged as a participant–observer and committee member for about 1.5 years with “Community As A Campus”—the initiative dedicated to envisioning and planning the redevelopment project.     

A study on the building of a new “output–output model” and its usefulness: based on a comparative analysis of the input–output model

This paper describes the building of a new open static “output–output” (O–O) model in comparison to the open static input–ouput (I–O) model developed by Leontief (Rev Econ Stat 18:105–125, 1936). While the I–O model can be characterized as a system that relates final demand to gross output, the O–O model relates gross output for final demand (endogenous or exogenous) to gross output for output (endogenous). We perform a comparative analysis between the two models in structure and characteristics and illustrate the usefulness of the O–O model, for example, by formulating I–O multipliers that can accept output as an initial change. The comprehensive analysis conducted in this paper, including a numerical illustration with an example, shows that the two models form a mutually supplementary relationship and could give rise to a fundamental framework for the analyses of various regional and national economic activities.     

Investigating the barriers faced by stakeholders in open data development: A study on Hong Kong as a “smart city”

The drive towards open data aims at improving government transparency, motivating citizen participation and unlocking commercial innovation. However, various intertwining barriers hinder the adoption of open data. They are stemming from legislation and licensing, technology and operation, use level, institution and governance, as well as economic considerations. Through the use of social network analysis (SNA), this study identified 43 barriers faced by stakeholders in an open data project in Hong Kong and investigated their interdependencies. Hong Kong was selected as a representative case due to its relatively low ranking in the Global Open Data Index (24th) and poor data quality. It was found that the lack of an open data policy should be tackled as a matter of priority to provide technical guidance for the public sector, ensure data quality and achieve expected outcomes. It is also necessary to improve the IT literacy/mindset of the public sector, refine the governance structure relating to the delivery of open data initiatives, encourage engagement from private entities and provide a feedback loop for users. This study explored the interrelationships between various barriers to open data adoption and proposes practical recommendations to enhance open data development in the context of emerging “smart cities”.     

The social poetics of urban design: rethinking urban design through Louis Kahn’s vision for Central Philadelphia (1939–1962)

The architect Louis Kahn is known for the simple yet poetic composition of his words. Through some of the unique features of his unbuilt master plan for the urban centre in Central Philadelphia, this paper argues that we can understand the true quality of Kahn’s design only when we look at his proposals through the lens of linguistics and semiotics. The appeal of Kahn’s design lies in what semioticists and linguists would call ‘poetic quality’, or the production of inventive understandings of both the conventions and new inventions of the shared social milieu. It is precisely because the poetic function in language is humanistic, that Kahn’s use of social poetics has brought the abstract ideas of urban planners down to earth in a way that everyone can appreciate.     

“It’s all in the mix”: constructing ethnic segregation as a social problem in Germany

The creation of a balanced ethnic mix at the neighbourhood level is a common objective of contemporary housing policies in many European countries. According to its proponents, these policies aim to stimulate social mobility and social integration, often within a wider attempt at urban regeneration. Germany is looking back at a long tradition of mixing strategies aimed at ethnic desegregation. Whereas other countries take a more subtle approach, targeting ethnic segregation indirectly by means of a social or housing mix, some German cities have tried to prevent ethnic concentrations by imposing moving-in bans or quotas on foreigners in certain quarters, restrictions that are still maintained under the recent anti-discrimination legislation. In applying a constructionist approach, the article critically discusses the reasoning behind the German policies. It tries to shed light on some shared features in the discourse on ethnic segregation across Europe and highlights the particularities of the German strategies. It further tackles the question of future prospects for desegregative housing policies against the background of demographic realities, the entrance of financial investors in the (German) housing market and the ongoing shrinkage of the social housing sector.