The dynamics of “post-crisis” spatial planning: a comparative study of office conversion policies in England and The Netherlands

Land policies governing individual and institutional rights to buildings and land are shaped by the socio-cultural, political and economic contexts within which they emerge and are (re)embedded within. This leads to considerable variation across place and space. Yet within this diversity commonalities emerge, not least in the ‘rationales’ that inform the development and implementation of land policies. These are explored via a comparative study of England - where market-based reforms have guided land use planning measures for some time – and the Netherlands; a country which is taking steps to introduce market-based values such as competition, efficiency and flexibility into its ‘regulatory’ spatial planning system (Evers, 2015). Through this comparison, we explore the way in which neoliberal political ideology and financial imperatives, sharpened by the 2008 global economic downturn, have resulted in changes to English and Dutch land policies. We illustrate this discussion by referring to land use policies under which authorities have sought to facilitate a change of land use, for example from office to residential usages. In both countries, these reforms have been introduced as part of attempts to make planning more ‘efficient’ and supportive of real estate markets. While there is variation in some of the drivers and apparatus used, we find parallels between the two countries’ experiences. Our paper argues that fiscal austerity, economic uncertainty and the import of market values reproduces a shared reality of governance reform amongst the two countries, creating opportunities for critical learning between them

Sustainability and within use office building adaptations : a comparison of Dutch and Australian practices

Local Authorities worldwide are encouraging adaptation as a means of reducing building related urban energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The City of Melbourne is promoting the retrofit of 1,200 CBD properties before 2020 with sustainability measures as part of their policy to become a carbon neutral city. Australian cities date from 1837 to the present day whereas some European cities have been inhabited for over two millennia. The concepts of adaptation and evolution of buildings and suburbs is well developed in Europe, though the scale of some of the post war developments has created different forms of building perhaps less adaptable or suited to change. The need to adapt buildings and to reduce environmental footprints becomes more pressing over time as global concentrations of carbon dioxide increase. Is it possible for Europeans to learn from Australian practices and vice averse? Through examination of office building adaptation in Melbourne and Amsterdam, it is possible to learn where similarities and differences exist and where new practices can be shared.This paper addressed the questions; What are the key attributes influencing adaptations in Melbourne and Amsterdam office buildings, and what are the similarities and differences? Using the Melbourne CBD and Amsterdam as a case study, the research analysed 7393 commercial building adaptations in Melbourne and 98 office buildings in Amsterdam where adaptations were completed. The outcomes of this research show where similarities and differences exist and are relevant to all urban areas where adaptation of existing office buildings can mitigate the impacts of climate change and enhance the city for another generation of citizens and users.<br /

Nomad Management of Urban Development: the complex value of temporary communities

The research “NOMAD - Nomad MAnagement of Urban Development” intends to explore the effects of temporary uses and the role of temporary communities in urban regeneration. Temporary uses can produce intangible values and also changes the surrounding housing market. Although temporary communities make spontaneously sustainable practices and generate urban values, yet the values produced by temporary uses seem to be little evident. The research aims to identify and enhance the processes of community-oriented temporary uses, in order to estimate the impacts of such experiences and better manage empty available spaces for temporary urban communities. The paper presents the NOMAD research methodology

Value of assets

This chapter focuses on the financial side of Corporate Real Estate (CRE). First, the effect of ownership or leasing on the balance sheet is discussed. In addition, the lifecycle effects of ownership are looked at in connection with renovation, restructuring or alternative use. Particular attention is paid to the importance of regularly valuing CRE at market value and the financial risks of not valuing and not strategically managing CRE. The chapter shows that CRE is not always easy to value. Buildings may have specific characteristics without any particular market value, or which are only valuable for similar enterprises and specific use. The value might also be influenced by industry trends or labour costs, followed by shifts of the company’s activities to other locations or even other countries. Consequently, active CRE financial management should have a high priority. Involvement in business plans and decisions is essential to fulfil that role

Value of assets

This chapter focuses on the financial side of Corporate Real Estate (CRE). First, the effect of ownership or leasing on the balance sheet is discussed. In addition, the lifecycle effects of ownership are looked at in connection with renovation, restructuring or alternative use. Particular attention is paid to the importance of regularly valuing CRE at market value and the financial risks of not valuing and not strategically managing CRE. The chapter shows that CRE is not always easy to value. Buildings may have specific characteristics without any particular market value, or which are only valuable for similar enterprises and specific use. The value might also be influenced by industry trends or labour costs, followed by shifts of the company’s activities to other locations or even other countries. Consequently, active CRE financial management should have a high priority. Involvement in business plans and decisions is essential to fulfil that role

Value of assets

This chapter focuses on the financial side of Corporate Real Estate (CRE). First, the effect of ownership or leasing on the balance sheet is discussed. In addition, the lifecycle effects of ownership are looked at in connection with renovation, restructuring or alternative use. Particular attention is paid to the importance of regularly valuing CRE at market value and the financial risks of not valuing and not strategically managing CRE. The chapter shows that CRE is not always easy to value. Buildings may have specific characteristics without any particular market value, or which are only valuable for similar enterprises and specific use. The value might also be influenced by industry trends or labour costs, followed by shifts of the company’s activities to other locations or even other countries. Consequently, active CRE financial management should have a high priority. Involvement in business plans and decisions is essential to fulfil that role

The development of the educational MSc. Programme: from BMVB and RE&amp;H to MBE

The leading principles for our new curriculum are to strengthen its scientific base, and to provide a program in which students orientate themselves along the full width of the domain and also have sufficient possibilities to specialize themselves

The Delft legacy of Adding Value by CREM

This book chapter presents an overview of many publications on adding value through corporate and public real estate, in chronological order. It discusses the concepts of added value and adding value, various value parameters, the relationships between input-throughput-output-outcome, and how to manage adding value by CREM in four steps. A such it shows the legacy of the (C)REM section of the Department of Management in the Built Environment at the Faculty of Architecture of the TU Delft. The chapter is a contribution to the book “Dear is Durable”, a Liber Amicorum for prof. Hans de Jonge that was offered to him due to his farewell as professor of Real Estate Management and Development. A pdf of this book can be downloaded from the TU Delft research repository: A pdf of this book can be downloaded from the TU Delft research repository: http://repository.tudelft.nl/ &gt; research repository &gt; search on ”Dear is Durable”