Between Policy and Practice
The role of municipal size in collaborative governance for senior housing development in the Netherlands
M. Wolf (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
M.E.A. Haffner – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
H.J.F.M. Boumeester – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
The ageing of the Dutch population has increased the demand for suitable senior housing, whereas the development of such housing has not kept pace with national policy ambitions. While municipalities are expected to play a central role in facilitating senior housing development, implementation largely depends on collaboration between multiple actors, including municipalities, developers, and housing associations. Existing research provides limited insight into how differences between municipalities, particularly in terms of size and capacity, shape these collaborative processes. This study addresses this gap by examining how municipal size influences the starting conditions and early dynamics of collaborative governance in senior housing development in the Netherlands.
The central research question is: “To what extent do municipal size and starting conditions shape the collaborative process between municipalities, housing associations, and private developers in the development of senior housing in the Netherlands?”
A qualitative research design is employed, combining a literature and policy analysis with multiple case studies. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with municipal staff, developers, and housing associations involved in senior housing projects. The interview data were transcribed and analysed using qualitative coding in ATLAS.ti, guided by the collaborative governance framework of Ansell and Gash (2008).
The findings show that municipal size influences the collaborative process indirectly, through its effect on organisational capacity and the availability of steering instruments. Larger municipalities tend to have more specialist disciplines involved and more developed steering frameworks, while smaller municipalities rely on a more limited set of instruments. Starting conditions shape the collaborative process in consistent ways across the cases studied. Prehistory of cooperation or conflict affects how trust develops, incentives for participation influence the character of commitment, and knowledge asymmetries shape shared understanding between actors.
The findings contribute to academic discussions on collaborative governance by providing empirical insights into the role of municipal size in shaping collaboration. From a societal perspective, the study provides practical recommendations for municipalities and market actors to improve collaborative practices in senior housing development and support the local implementation of national housing ambitions.