This research investigates how early-stage decision-making in Dutch urban regeneration can better balance social, environmental, governance, and financial values and whether a more standardized approach can improve clarity, comparability, and decision-making. It examines current practice, in which financial feasibility metrics tend to dominate early assessments, while soft values such as social cohesion and participatory outcomes that are not directly expressed in financial terms but are central to public value creation in urban regeneration remain poorly specified, inconsistently documented and difficult to compare across options. As a result, recurring tensions between objectives often emerge later in the process.
Drawing on academic literature and interviews with municipal officials, developers, and housing association representatives, the study analyses stakeholder priorities, alignment requirements under the Omgevingswet, and the institutional conditions under which value trade-offs are negotiated and justified. Using a design science research approach, an Integrated Value Creation Framework was developed to complement financial feasibility analysis. The framework operationalises non-financial values through indicators, a participation influence log and a trade-off ledger, enabling these values to be linked to early design and investment choices in a more efficient way.
The research findings reveal that value trade-offs become more manageable and accountable when they are made explicit, recorded, and revisited as part of formal early-stage decision-making, rather than remaining suggestive. The study concludes by discussing how these values can be made more visible and influential in Dutch urban regeneration initiatives, and by offering recommendations for improving early-stage decision-making practices.