Journal articles on the topic 'Neighborhood Initiative Plan'

The Charleston Area Children's Garden Project is a community-sponsored initiative affiliated with the Clemson Univ. Coastal Research and Education Center and the Landscapes for Learning Program. The Project transforms vacant lots and other unused spaces into neighborhood outdoor learning centers. Garden activities are free and open to all. The children plan, plant, and tend the garden under the supervision and guidance of adult Garden Leaders. Whatever is grown, the children take home. A “sidewalk learning session” is held in the garden each week. At these sessions, the garden manager, parents, neighbors, or visitors teach the youngsters about garden-related topics from insects to siphons, from origami to pickling, and a multitude of other topics designed to stimulate learning and child participation. The Project is designed to give children a hands-on learning experience outside the classroom setting, to make neighborhoods more attractive, and to build a sense of community. The Project is totally funded by grant monies and has grown from one garden in 2000 to ten gardens in 2004. Gardens are planted with the involvement of neighborhood associations, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Homeless Shelter, and in conjunction with after-school programs. The Project makes use of such resources as The Growing Classroom and the Junior Master Gardener Teaching Guide. An array of program materials has been developed that are designed for use in the coastal communities of South Carolina.

ABSTRACTThe federally funded Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) requires seamless federal, state, and local public health coordination to provide antibiotics to an entire city population within 48 hours of an aerosolized release of anthrax. We document practical lessons learned from the development and implementation of the Boston CRI plan. Key themes center on heightened emphasis on security, a new mass protection model of dispensing, neighborhood-centric clinic site selection, online training of Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, and the testing of operations through drills and exercises. Sharing such lessons can build national preparedness. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2008;2:40–49)

CommUniverCity San José is a partnership between the "community" neighborhoods of Five Wounds/Brookwood Terrace, San José State University and the City of San José (see Image 1). Designed to "empower students and residents and to build community" the partnership builds collaborative alliances, matching community needs with municipal and academic capabilities (Darrah and Noravian 2008:3-4). Facilitated by the members of the City's Strong Neighborhood Initiative (SNI) and San José State's faculty and students, the residents identify a series of objectives that reflect their own priorities. These range from general goals, such as producing a "college-going culture" among youth and their families, to specific objectives, such as producing a plan for the redevelopment of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) site. This ecology of goals and objectives shapes the activities that take place under the umbrella of CommUniverCity, and influences decision-making by members of the Steering Committee.

China’s project of the century- Belt and Road Initiative - is a signature foreign policy project of President Xi Jinping. Launched in 2013, BRI contains two components- overland belt connecting China with Central Asia, Russia, South Asia and Europe, and Maritime Silk Road for enhancing connectivity, and maritime cooperation linking Chinese ports with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. BRI wraps up these two initiatives in it and intends to cover the number of countries along the route that happens to be the biggest market in the world with enormous potentials for trade and investment cooperation. BRI has both economic and strategic messages behind a massive infrastructure plan covering a vast network of connectivity linking 60 countries. BRI has sparked a variety of responses, some welcoming and supporting it, some expressing reservations, some willing to participate “for shaping the outcome from within”, and some wanting it to firmly match the international standards of transparency, openness, and the fiscal soundness of the country. Nepal formally became a part of BRI by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on Framework Agreement in May 2017 for enhancing more connectivity and integration, though Nepal is not included in any of the six economic corridors unveiled by China. China recently suggesting Nepal to trim projects from 35 to 9 reflects the standard of the work done by the Nepali government and its lack of preparedness and seriousness. Infrastructure development is key to progress and prosperity. As China remains engaged in improving connectivity in the neighborhood, there is a great optimism about BRI in Nepal. Against this background, this article looks at the significance of BRI, examines past attempts made at connectivity, responses to BRI and Nepal's participation in it.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the gap between the declarations regarding participatory planning and its actual implementation in practice within the Israeli spatial planning context. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores the gap between theory of participatory spatial planning and its implementation in practice by a comparative analysis of three participatory case studies in the Israeli planning context. The data collected to analyze the case studies is secondary data, including previous research on the three case studies and their re-evaluation on the basis of indicators for participation. Findings Participatory spatial planning processes are not often implemented in the Israeli context, as they are not required by law. All the three case studies explored in this paper deal with local spatial plans at the neighborhood level, but each expresses a very different participation mode: one is a national, government-led program; the second is a residents-led opposition to a municipal plan; and the third is a third-sector initiative offering an alternative plan to an existing one. The findings suggest that there is a correlation between the initiating body, its commitment to participation and the level of success of the participatory process. Research limitations/implications This paper focuses on three specific participatory spatial planning projects in Israel. Further exploration of additional participatory projects may prove useful to verify or refute the conclusions reached in this paper. Originality/value There is very little exploration and evaluation of participatory spatial planning processes in Israel. This paper provides a valuable, although limited, analysis, linking participatory planning theory to practice within the Israeli context.

Background: Participation is presented as a key principle of caring communities. Participatory research directly includes communities and through co-producing knowledge, it would foster sustainable change that matches with local communities' needs. However, in practice, participatory approaches are challenging, and theoretical principles are not always easy to translate in practice. Aim: The goal of this workshop is to jointly advance our understanding of participatory research in relation to caring communities, and to discuss and exchange the challenges and pitfalls related to this type of research. Participants: The workshop is for everyone who is interested in developing, understanding, or evaluating caring communities or wants to be an active part of it. Both people with and without experience in the subject are welcome. Methods: Brainstorm about participatory research in relation to caring communities. What is meant by participation in participatory research? Who ‘should’ participate? (10min) Presenting three case studies using participatory research methods within different community settings (i.e., an urban neighborhood, a municipality, and a higher educational institution) and with different community members (i.e., inhabitants and users of the neighborhood, socioeconomically disadvantaged adults, university students and staff). Each case will present 3 challenges faced within the process. (30min) - Suzannah D’Hooghe studies the role of the perceived local environment in health-promoting behaviors among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults in two peri-urban municipalities in Flanders. Community-based participatory approaches such as walk-along interviews, photovoice, and focus groups were used to i) identify environmental factors affecting eating behavior and recreational walking, and ii) identify actions to promote healthy eating and stimulate recreational walking. - Octavia Kint is involved in a co-creative research project on caring communities in two neighborhoods in Brussels. 80% of the neighborhood-built surface is not used for housing, and is characterized by a large presence of ‘atypical’ neighborhood users: musea, public institutions, companies, shops, commuters,... Together with a group of neighborhood co-researchers we investigated and experimented with how a caring community could be built together with these ‘atypical’ neighborhood users. - Hanne Bakelants studies the development of a Compassionate University in one university setting in Brussels. A participatory action research approach is used in which staff and students i) share challenges they encounter when confronted with serious illness, death, and bereavement, ii) co-define objectives for developing a compassionate initiative within the university context, and iii) co-create and execute an implementation plan in collaboration with the research team. Interactive part: Reflections on case studies: pitfalls, challenges, and opportunities (30 min) - What are the limits of participation for community stakeholders and researchers? - How can we increase community support and involve new stakeholders? - How to deal with power relations? Participants will be divided into groups to discuss these questions related to their practice, followed by a collective discussion. Closing: Plenary ‘sharing’ session (20 min) End goal: People will go home having an example of what participatory research can look like in different contexts and the challenges and opportunities that appear in its practical application.

Community involvement plays a crucial role in the process of development planning, which is a crucial stage in the overall development process. This process involves analyzing the needs and issues in the field and seeking recommendations for solutions that will be outlined in the form of planning documents. However, based on the results of the data analysis in the field, community participation in development planning in Pelaihari Village in 2021 is still low, as demonstrated by the lack of attendance of community representatives and the inadequate presence of resource persons. Besides, there need to be more proposals for the process of development planning consensus (Musrenbang). This study aims to investigate the reasons for the lack of community involvement in Pelaihari Village's development planning in 2021. Explanatory qualitative research methods are used in this study to gather information from sources including the Sub-District Heads of Pelaihari Village, a representative of the neighborhood head in Pelaihari Village, the head of Pelaihari District, and the head of the Tanah Laut Regency Development Planning Department. The findings of the field study on the reasons for low community involvement in development planning in Pelaihari Village in 2021 show that the first factor is the mindset of the people who still do not trust and understand the process of development planning and the benefits of their participation in it. The second is the technical factor of implementation which is still not optimal and not suitable for urban areas, and the last is the Pelaihari sub-district heads' lack of initiative in gathering information to share with the community and their lack of creativity in planning technological implementation and engaging the community. Finally, the recommendations in this study are directed at the Tanah Laut District Government, the Pelaihari District Head, and the Pelaihari Sub-District Head. They include improving technical implementation, changing community attitudes through socialization, and boosting village head initiatives and innovations

The Republic of Indonesia must retain its unity above all else, which requires religious harmony. However, every candidate for the Regional Head Election in Medan City still faces a severe challenge related to identity and religion. Thus, everyone in Medan City still has a responsibility to realize harmony and peace for religious communities. In the Medan Amplas District of Medan City's Timbang Deli Village, this activity took place. Understanding religious freedom and religious concord is the primary goal of this activity. Second, the contribution of local authorities to fostering religious peace. The third is a plan to promote religious harmony. It is hoped that the participants of the activities and conversations can understand the information presented using the participatory method. The outcomes of this initiative show the community's commitment to sharing responsibilities in each Timbang Deli Village neighborhood in order to raise public awareness. In addition, coordinate to talk to the authorities in great detail. In addition, achieving inter-religious harmony requires internalizing an attitude of tolerance, upholding brotherly ties, showing respect and appreciation for one another, placing full faith in one another without bias, confirming and clarifying any information learned, and being able to act fairly. for the benefit of the whole society.

Abstract Background: Wellness Rx is a community-academic partnership program developed through a community engagement and participatory model (CEP) framework, to improve health disparities in an under-resourced predominantly Black community. This program addresses health disparities in chronic disease and social determinants of health through interactive health education, empowerment, and neighborhood support. This program aims to increase access to resources, increase capacity and strengthen relationships with local organizations for sustainable health outcomes. Wellness Rx ran in the community for 4 years with financial and logistical support from an academic medical center. In year 5, the community participated in sustainability training to shift and transfer ownership to community members. Methods: A sustainability training program was developed and delivered to community members to allow for Wellness Rx to be community-led and self-directed. A core group of 12 community members volunteered to serve as the taskforce that would ultimately lead and direct Wellness Rx after the sustainability training. This training included Information sharing of program materials, key partnership contacts, resource lists, skills training on program implementation, volunteer management, grant writing, partnership development and leadership. Results: Since the adoption of the training program, the community has tailored the Wellness Rx to meet their needs and priorities, and encompasses topics within and outside of behavioral health. As leaders of the program, they have expanded their partnerships beyond existing networks and have secured funding for activities. Conclusion: Wellness Rx demonstrates the potential for a program to become self-directed after initial support from an academic medical center. Core components of Wellness Rx can be replicated and implemented as a power-sharing model for long-term sustainability. Citation Format: Manisha Salinas, Monica Albertie. Sustainability plan for Wellness Rx: A community-led initiative to reduce disparities and improve healthy lifestyles in an under-resourced Black community [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B030.

Public interest (citizens, investors, interest groups, NGOs, media and similar) in the urban planning process and proposed planning solutions, certainly is not negligible, however, according to the opinion of the professional public, it has often been wrongly directed and conducted. The legal basis, which in rudimentary outlines prescribes the procedure of the public insight/hearing, i.e. the presentation of the planning document, does not provide sufficient input, however, also does not prevent organization of more qualitative and productive communication with the interested individuals, not only at the very finalization of plan development, but also at the initial phases of the initiative for decision making or forming the conceptual solution. In order to better comprehend the real needs of the citizens, urban planners should much earlier than the public insight i.e. presentation of already formed solutions, get in touch with citizens, interview them, organize workshops, insights and meetings on specific topics, trying to explain the planning procedures, standards and norms, as well as to present all that which is required in order to raise the quality of life in the neighborhood and provide some level of public interest and good, and thus increase the value of real estate. On the other hand, the citizens knowing their living environment the best should participate more actively in its creation, by indicating to the problems and needs, reacting to certain topics and thus assisting the professionals in shaping and committing their planning solutions. To that respect this paper provides certain recommendations, based on international experience, by implementation of which the satisfactory level of democracy (more transparency, inclusivity and effectiveness) of the procedure should be provided in Serbia as well.

Planning a city is a systematic process that includes time, space, and groups of people who must communicate. However, due to security problems in such war-ravaged countries as Afghanistan, the traditional forms of public participation in the planning process are untenable. In particular, due to gathering space difficulties and culture issues in Afghanistan, women and religious minorities are restricted from joining male-dominated powerholders’ face-to-face meetings which are nearly always held in fixed places called masjids (religious buildings). Furthermore, conducting such discussions with human facilitation biases the generation of citizen decisions that stimulates an atmosphere of confrontation, causing another decision problem for urban policy-making institutions. Therefore, it is critical to find approaches that not only securely revolutionize participative processes but also provide meaningful and equal public consultation to support interactions among stakeholders to solve their shared problems together. Toward this end, we propose a joint research program, namely, crowd-based communicative and deliberative e-planning (CCDP), a blended approach, which is a mixture of using an artificial-intelligence-led technology, decision-support system called D-Agree and experimental participatory planning in Kabul, Afghanistan. For the sake of real-world implementation, Nagoya Institute of Technology (Japan) and Kabul Municipality (Afghanistan) have formed a novel developed and developing world partnership by using our proposed methodology as an emerging-deliberation mechanism to reframe public participation in urban planning processes. In the proposed program, Kabul municipality agreed to use our methodology when Kabul city needs to make a plan with people. This digital field study presents the first practical example of using online decision support systems in the context of the neighborhood functions of Gozars, which are Kabul’s social and spatial urban units. The main objective was to harness the wisdom of the crowd to innovative suggestions for helping policymakers making strategic development plans for Gozars using open call ideas, and for responding to equal participation and consultation needs, specifically for women and minorities. This article presents valuable insights into the benefits of this combined approach as blended experience for societies and cities that are suffering long-term distress. This initiative has influenced other local Afghan governments, including the cities of Kandahar and Herat as well as the country’s central government’s ministry of urban planning and land, which has officially expressed its intention to collaborate with us.

Local environmental improvement plans are increasingly popular among urban planners. As climate change and environmental justice concerns increase, many communities demand a change in local land use policies that put these concerns at the forefront. One such community is the city of Houston, Texas, which issued several environmental improvement plans in recent years after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. As used in this Comment, an environmental improvement plan is a local government planning initiative that aims to implement positive environmental change in urban areas historically burdened by environmental hazards. Such neighborhoods are often undeveloped, low-socioeconomic communities blighted by an accumulation of hazardous pollutants. These communities lack open, green space, clean and affordable natural resources, and resiliency against natural disasters. However, when cities successfully implement environmental improvement plans, targeted neighborhoods often undergo gentrification, thereby displacing the poorer community members into another area blighted by the same environmental hazards the plan was intended to protect them from. This Comment seeks to explore the intended benefits of Houston’s various environmental improvement initiatives, to evaluate the current gentrification trends in Houston neighborhoods targeted for improvement, and to highlight the potential future concerns for vulnerable Houston neighborhoods as these new land-use policies go into effect. Environmental improvement plans are an important and necessary aspect of responsible and sustainable development, but, if implemented without regard to possible gentrification effects, they can have negative, unintended consequences on a city’s diversity and economic health. Fortunately, there are ways that city planners and community members can mitigate these negative effects and ensure positive change and inclusive growth.

This article presents an analysis and characterization of recent sustainable initiatives developed for the public transportation of Montevideo, Uruguay. In addition, specific analysis and recommendations are proposed for the Parque Rodó neighborhood, based on a survey performed to people that commute to/from that area. The analysis considers the main concepts from related works, evaluating relevant quantitative (coverage, accessibility, affordability, etc.) and qualitative (public finance, integration, comfort and pleasure, etc.) indicators. Three sustainable public transportation initiatives are studied: electric bus, public bicycles, and electric scooters. Results of the analysis for each transportation mode suggest that the first initiatives focus on specific sectors of the population and should be improved in order to extend their accessibility and affordability. In turn, coverage must also be expanded. Regarding the analysis of the Parque Rodó neighborhood, results indicate that people are willing to perform the modal shift to more sustainable transportation modes, but several improvements are needed to improve the quality of service. All these aspects are considered in the proposed guidelines for a sustainable mobility plan in the area and also for suggestions and recommendations formulated to develop and improve sustainable mobility in Montevideo.

Abstract: In the era of localism, Neighborhood arranging enables networks to foster a common vision for their area and shape the turn of events and development of their neighborhood. They can pick where they need new homes, shops and workplaces to be constructed, give their opinion on what those new structures ought to resemble and what framework ought to be given, and award arranging authorization for the new structures they need to see go on. Neighborhood arranging gives a strong arrangement of devices for nearby individuals to get ready for the sorts of advancement to address their local area's issues and where the aspiration of the area is lined up with the essential requirements and needs of the more extensive neighborhood. The neighbourhood planning institution is claimed to be an initiation that aims to speak to the criticisms of bureaucratic practice in planning and engender genuine collaborative democracy between the government and the people. Aim of this research paper is to study the existing layout for the Gandhi nagar colony Nashik, Maharashtra and to re-plan the layout according to the new modern design for sustainable and revenue generation as well as for future expansion and invitation for other governmental offices. Keyword: Neighborhood planning, sustainable planning, Gandhi nagar colony

A town of 42,000 inhabitants in the agricultural belt on the south side of Milan, Rozzano was developed in the 1960s and 1970s on the Soviet suburban model to house migrant workers from the south. The stock of modular cement high-rises is now deteriorating rapidly and will not be restored or replaced with similar buildings. The town council intends to replace this fabric with one that is more livable, following the principles of New Urbanism. Two projects are being developed for new mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods on municipal sites. The projects will become part of the town’s Development Plan and the sites will be offered to developers who are to build the new quarters as designed. The results will serve as examples of how to renew Rozzano – using traditional local building models of urban, rural, and agricultural architecture. The initiative is a chance to create a ground-breaking example of suburban sprawl repair.

: Community stakeholders can be valuable allies to city officials engaged in downtown regeneration and community planning. This project highlights the force of engaging such allies in planning initiatives. It focuses on a long-neglected community that was once a thriving African American cultural and commercial hub. Organized as a city-university collaborative, the project brought together a cadre of community stakeholders: a planning studio professor and graduate students; a professional planner; architects; preservationists; and area residents, business owners and community leaders. Stakeholders held several meetings to evaluate the overall needs of the area, discuss options that would allow the concurrency of neighborhood revitalization, historic preservation and commercial economic interests while adhering to existing design guidelines. The group’s work culminated in a proposed land use plan that is sensitive to the needs of families, businesses and the city’s revitalization efforts. The plan calls for creating built spaces that complement the natural environment and encourages integrating green initiatives with regenerative efforts. It proposes creating active parks; cultural, arts and entertainment districts; and zoning that allows for single and multifamily housing. It transforms the district into one that is mixed-use, economically viable, family-oriented and preserves the area’s authentically historic and cultural assets.

This article discusses the pilot year of a 4-H Science project in which Mercer County 4-H partnered with content-rich corporate volunteers of a global STEM corporation to plan and implement six Science Saturdays for 4th-7th grade youth from Trenton and surrounding urban neighborhoods. The program was a ground up initiative designed and implemented by a core group (mostly women), which expanded to include 31 corporate volunteers by the end of the pilot year (2013-2014). The Science Saturdays were held once a month with each session focused on a different theme and included demonstrations or experiments along with other supporting activities. While all four program goals were met during the pilot year, results from the 4-H Science Common Measures survey did not reveal significant increases or improvements in youth outcome objectives. Findings and implications are discussed, as well as current and future programming.

For good or ill, earlier fare of rural enhancement budget for the RPJMN (or National Medium Term Development Plan) 2020-2024 asks both reviving 10.000 left-behind villages and 5.000 suburbs, its enlargement schemed for 9.9% growth. Quintessentially, Indonesia has set 72 trillion rupiahs to be allocated over 74.961 rustics but, recent fact uncovers its noticeable intransparency. Driven by foregoing issue, this research led the initiative problem-solving reshapes countryside APBDes onto more transparent; later, the method named Endogenous Praxis, shall become a notion integrates rural internal element e.g. commoners, learners, neighborhoods, and hamlets. In total, seventy-two-trillion divided 74.961 suburbs equal ±960.499.459 rupiahs/ each. Amidst plenty amount finance, wider unequivocal symbiotic amongst internal element and urban village head must forthright, it would via open-colloquium-assembly through PRA or Participatory Rural Appraisal, criticizing: (i). RPJMDes, (ii). RKPDes, and (iii). Terms in Regional Transfer and Village Funds/ TKDD, thus, backwoods’ amenities furtherance per annum might less from disarray.

In the face of the pandemic, there has been a global focus on urban planning and sustainability. These have attracted attention in innovative cities. The 15-Minute City approach aims to address the COVID-19 pandemic, enhance urban sustainability, and encourage citizen involvement in urban planning and management. In 2018, the municipality of Milan launched the Fifteen Minute City project. The project aims to redefine the use of streets and public spaces, encourage cycling and walking, and reshape neighborhoods. By studying the success of Milan's 15-minute City, this paper aims to deeply analyze the necessary factors for the successful implementation of the 15-minute plan based on the Notice of Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Commerce on printing and distributing the Implementation Plan for the Pilot City Construction of Shenzhen Quarter Hour Convenient Living Circle. This paper will establish causal connections between the variables within the plan and propose strategies for mitigating the identified risks. Additionally, the document will present a fair and objective evaluation of the plan's consequences, along with practical suggestions for future execution. The paper highlights the importance of community involvement in urban planning and emergency management by examining key initiatives in Shenzhen, such as the implementation of digital technologies, green transport policies, community support, and public education. The research provides valuable lessons for both Shenzhen and other cities on sustainable development and infection management and highlights the need for community collaboration and public participation.

The practice of stormwater management has evolved from a singular focus on drainage to a multifaceted approach to support the integrated urban development of healthy, livable, ecological, and water sensitive cities from neighborhood to metropolitan scales. A review of the knowledge base and practice by the professional stormwater management community shows attributes that favor an integrative approach to achieve co-benefits across sectors. Research into stormwater management addresses its functional areas of drainage, flood control, flood plain management, water quality control, urban ecology, recreation, and city beautification. Legacy path dependance affects the potential to reform land use practices, while stormwater management practice is affected by climate change, sea level rise, urbanization, inequality, and poor governance. This review shows a status where technical methods are well advanced but integrative frameworks to address social, ecological and infrastructure needs are more challenging. The sensitivity of ecological issues is most evident in cities in coastal zones. Organizational initiatives are needed to counter the neglect of essential maintenance and sustain flood risk reduction in cities. Stormwater management is related to other integrative tools, including IWRM, One Water, One Health, and Integrated Flood Management, as well as the broader concept of urban planning. This research review demonstrates the opportunities and needs for the advancement of an integrated approach to stormwater management to support urban development. Stormwater capture and rainfall harvesting offer major opportunities to augment scarce water supplies. Nature-based solutions like low-impact development and the sponge city concept show promise to transform cities. Major cities face challenges to sustain conveyance corridors for major flows and to store and treat combined sewer runoff. The neighborhood focus of stormwater management elevates the importance of participation and inclusion to advance environmental justice and strengthen social capital. Integrating organizational initiatives from local to city scales and funding improvements to stormwater systems are major challenges that require leadership from higher governance levels, although governments face resistance to change toward integration, especially in countries with poor land use and public works management systems. Finding solutions to neighborhood issues and the connectivity of water systems at larger scales requires complex approaches to urban planning and represent an important agenda for urban and water governance going forward.

Abstract Many cities and towns have tried to create neighborhood environments favorable to older adults. However, it raises the question of whether community aging initiatives reflect the diverse needs of older adults. This study examined how much different types of neighborhood physical and social environments were essential to the life of diverse older adults. This study used data from the 2018 AARP Home and Community Preferences Survey with 762 adults aged 50 and older in the USA (female: 50%; White: 70%, Black: 17%, Hispanic: 12%, other race: 5%). The outcome variables were participants’ rates on the relative importance of seven community features (i.e., outdoor space, housing, transportation, street, social participation, civic engagement, and job). We ran multiple regression analyses to examine the relationships between the importance rating of community features and diverse older populations. Women thought all community features were important in their daily life compared to men, except for transportation. Black and Hispanic older adults valued all seven community features more highly than White older adults. People with disabilities thought housing and civic engagement were essential daily; people who experienced loneliness thought housing, transportation, social participation, and civic engagement were important. This study adds to the growing literature on identifying the diverse needs of older adults in developing and creating age-friendly environments. Community features and services were essential to women and racial and ethnic minority adults. Depending on older adults’ demographic and health-related characteristics, policymakers and practitioners should develop a plan to reflect the diverse needs of older adults.

University–community partnerships have long sought to develop interventions to empower historically marginalized community members. However, there is limited critical attention to tensions faced when community engaged courses support urban planning initiatives in communities of color. This article explores how three Florida State University planning classes sought to engage the predominantly African-American Griffin Heights community in Tallahassee, Florida. Historically, African-American communities have been marginalized from the planning process, undermining community trust and constraining city planning capacity to effectively engage and plan with African-American community members. In this context, there are opportunities for planning departments with relationships in the African-American community to facilitate more extensive community engagement and urban design processes that interface with broader city planning programs. However, mediating relationships between the community and the city within the context of applied planning classes presents unique challenges. Although city planners have increasingly adopted the language of community engagement, many processes remain inflexible, bureaucratic, and under resourced. Reliance on inexperienced students to step in as community bridges may also limit the effectiveness of community engagement. Thus, while community engaged courses create opportunities to facilitate community empowerment, they also at times risk perpetuating the disenfranchisement of African-American community members in city planning processes.

The “Leuven Cares” (Zorgzaam Leuven) project started in 2018 as a government supported change management project, focusing chronic care integration. It covers and uses the officially defined primary care zone of Leuven (102.000 inhabitants). The project Zorgzaam Leuven is created thanks to the funding of the federal government Integreo.be, and the contribution of 60 local organizations in Leuven. As a basic methodology Leuven Cares opts for an ‘integrator’, i.e. a centrally stimulated integration movement amongst all professional caregivers and their local organizations, using the principles of integrated care and a population health approach. The central integrator functions as a back office. A broad array of actions were needed to develop this centrally stimulated integration movement, initially by co-creation and cooperation with a broad field of existing initiatives. All initiatives were brought in line and actively supported by a new central integrator team, that focused on multiple key activity areas. We have gained insights into the success factors that have led to the “integration movement by central stimulation” (in random order): 1.The integrator structure functions as a back office to permanently catalyze the transition towards integrated care. 2.The integrator is defined as the involvement of up to 40 liaison persons working within the 60 collaborating organizations, and a small central support team. The structure of the support team is lean, effective and stays integrated with all partner organizations through the close cooperation with 40 liaison persons. 3.The integrator facilitates a co-creation attitude in all aspects of the project. Up to 60% of the professionals are voluntarily united in primary care neighborhood teams. 4.The integrator works in line with a shared plan for the region with the focus on population health and provides regular updates based on continuous evaluation of care interventions. 5.Involvement of patients and informal caregivers is a basic principle in care planning and caring neighborhoods. 6.The integrator provides nudge-wise financial incentives to support integrated care starting from a population health approach, which is crucial for ‘double accountability’. 7.Academic researchers are involved within the integrator, to implement and evaluate interventions with proof of concept. 8.Shared communication for professional caregivers and patients is provided by the central support team, in co-creation with all partner organizations. The Leuven Cares project is an ongoing integrated care project. To date, the process shows good voluntarily and motivated participation of professional caregivers and their organizations. Among several other success factors a strong central integrator team supporting the transition towards integrated care is essential to support this transition towards more and sustainable integrated care. The next steps for Leuven Cares include developing methods to spread the best practices, including an integration team, to other regions. The roll-out will be gradual, with specific evaluation of context-dependent factors influencing the process towards integrated care.

Our research focuses on school buildings constructed in the first decade of Roma Capitale, between the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of twentieth century. The buildings belonged to two categories: 1) edifices readapted as schools (former convents and private dwellings); 2) newly built constructions. School buildings are studied considering their architectural layout, their location within the urban plan, their décor and their symbolic meaning in relation to topography and toponymy. The study method uses interpretation of spaces and places as educational objects that exert an extraordinary influence on the collective imagination. The sources used are: 1) archive documents (Archivio Capitolino) relating to projects and technical relations of architects and engineers; 2) legal documents: laws, measurements, bulletins, ministerial reports on school buildings; 3) publications that document the shaping of public opinion on the importance of endowing the capital with a number of representative and efficient educational sites. The work highlights three main historical trends: 1) the emergenc of laws supporting compulsory education (Casati law, Coppino law) and the social architectural initiatives undertaken in Rome’s poorest and most deprived neighborhoods (Trastevere, Suburra) or in newly built ones for the ascending middle class (Castro Pretorio); 2) the contradiction between rhetoric regarding public educational sites and the scarcity of financial backing for the management of municipal public education and the subsequent, perennial lack of new schooling sites; 3) competition with contemporary religious school architecture, which in comparison with that of public and secular schools was always at the vanguard.

Abstract Background: Mobile screening units (MSUs) are an evidence-based approach known to reduce barriers and increase access to preventive services such as cancer screening. Less is known about how to plan and prioritize where MSUs are deployed to maximize impact and reduce the burden of disease. We used a geographic-based approach to create an index to identify which census tracts were of greatest priority for cancer screening, thereby creating a priority scoring metric for deploying the MSU across our 7-county cancer center catchment area. Methods: We assessed publicly available data reported at the census tract level for cancer relevance, choosing those data that were most likely to be associated with disparities in cancer screening or outcomes. This included data from the Social Vulnerability Index (socioeconomic status, percent of residents without health insurance, percent of residents reporting minority race or ethnicity, percent renting their housing, and percent with no transportation) as well as data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Places on the percent screened for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colon cancer. Data was transformed from CDC Places to be percentage in need of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colon screening rather than percentage screened. To construct the index, each of the variables was ranked from highest to lowest across all census tracts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with a non-zero population (n=1,184). A percentile rank was then calculated for each census tract over each of these variables. Finally, an overall percentile rank for each tract was calculated. Index scores could range from 0.000000 (low priority for cancer screening) to 1.000000 (high priority for cancer screening). Results: There are 1,184 census tracts within our cancer center catchment area. Gloucester County NJ has the fewest census tracts (n=63) while Philadelphia County PA has the most census tracts (n=384). The mean index score across all census tracts was 0.400593 (SD = .198556) with a range of 0.000000 to 0.938343. Philadelphia County had the highest mean index score (0.400953) while Bucks County PA had the lowest mean index score (0.281576). In Philadelphia County, 76% of census tracts are above the mean index score, indicating high need for cancer screening, while in Bucks County, only 22% of census tracts are above the mean index score. A catchment area map by census tract visualizes the index score across the counties. Conclusion: A cancer screening index for census tracts in a cancer center catchment area can be used to prioritize resources such as a MSU in an evidenced-based manner. Next steps involve validating the index score against cancer disparities data in our catchment area and creating disease specific index scores to use with cancer specific screening initiatives. Citation Format: Krista Mar, Yawei Song, Khaldoun Hamade, Maria Katerina Alfaro, Alex Wrem, Christopher McNair, Amy Leader. Identifying priority neighborhoods for mobile cancer screening using georeferenced data [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A017.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The CDC-funded Program to Alleviate National Disparities in Ethnic and Minority Immunizations in the Community intersects two national networks that transform building trust in communities: Cooperative Extension Systems and Clinical and Translational Science Awardees, with the goal of reducing vaccine hesitancy and increasing vaccine uptake. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: PANDEMIC included North Central Florida; Greater Sacramento, California; Bronx, New York; St. Louis and the Ozarks, Missouri; rural Kentucky; and Minnesota. Our 10 Promising Practices (PPs) focus on the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and health information, with two detailing collaborative efforts to better achieve health equity: PP3) Bringing Services and Vaccines to People Where They Are & PP5) Creating Coalitions with Trusted Neighborhood Partners. CHWs and Extension Educators, trusted community members, work together to deliver culturally/linguistically diverse health messages in plain language in areas of high vaccine hesitancy and bring vaccines to people where they are. All outreach activities are tracked and categorized by PP affiliation. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: From November 2021 – August 2023, PANDEMIC has administered nearly 11,000 COVID-19 vaccines at over 2,500 outreach events. At events, Community Health Workers (CHWs) listen to community members to assess vaccine perceptions and health needs/concerns. We adapt messaging and outreach initiatives to promote vaccination through data analyses that help us understand perceptions. Responses are calculated for the populations of focus (PoF)–Latino/Hispanic, African American/Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) compared to others (Non-Latino/Hispanic White or unspecified race). Over 16,000 surveys were collected from November 2021 – August 2023 with 60% coming from the PoF. Key differences in perceptions will be shown along with other cross-site metrics. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: PANDEMIC offers an innovative model for collaboration among CTSAs and Cooperative Extension Systems to better understand community perceptions and support vaccination efforts and overall health promotion in communities of greatest need, with a focus on racial and ethnic minority communities and underinsured/uninsured populations.

PurposeThis inquiry examines Musina Municipality's tourism development states and strategies with “a study of existing documents and respondents' acknowledgments on their conceived engagements on tourism administrations in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa.” Imports of sustainable tourism and community subsistence have developed in modern years. Yet, not numerous such investigations centered on synergies inside the assorted characters of tourism and their businesses. Besides, meaningful aid to promote local settlements and sustainability in provincial districts is not modestly perceived. Hence the foremost aim is to appraise a strategy for consolidating tourism as an instrument for sustainable local community development (SLMD). The examination reasons that Musina Municipality has abundant tourism feasibilities and natural resources but requires a more diverse dependable tourism plan around the ecotourism market to permit the local inhabitants while promoting environmental sustainability.Design/methodology/approachTo grasp the dynamics of tourism actualities and their management around the communities in the Municipality, Focus group discussion (FGDs), surveys, interviews and existing document inspections, supplemented by field observations, were appropriated. Consequently, Microsoft Excel, Cross-tabulation and manual sorting of data interpretation systematized the exploration of the data. The features supplementing the antecedent and modern tourism states toward sustainable-eco-tourism enterprises and assorted welfare in Musina Municipality got explained.FindingsThis study exposes an inoperative unity between sustainable tourism initiatives and ecotourism imperatives. The aforesaid could work enthusiastically on multiple forms of rural tourism in the adjoining local populations and the uprightness of urban tourism in Musina town. So, it has deliberated a basis for a conventional, sustainable, and ecotourism-bound market-orientated tourism approach to allow the local neighborhoods in Musina Municipality and its foundation toward the intact Province.Originality/valueMusina Municipality is among the renowned desiccate precincts in the North of Limpopo Province in South Africa. It got designated by the poverty-stricken rural populations. A predicament is kindred to various agricultural societies elsewhere in the world. The Municipality nevertheless grounds itself in a diverse tourism-based exhibition within the Limpopo province, the Vhembe region. Such particularized wealth manifest through ecotourism-based realities akin to the Nwanedi Provincial Park (NPP), Tshipise Forever Resort (TFF), Nwanedi Resort (NN) and many others.

e13640 Background: Evidence-based, national guidelines for the diagnosis of recurrent metastatic breast cancer (MBC) recommend confirmation of recurrence with biopsy and reassessment of biomarker status. Real world practice patterns may demonstrate disparities in adherence to guidelines with implications for patients and health systems. Methods: We utilized the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) data repository that links Washington State cancer registry data to enrollment and claims from the major insurance payers in the state. We identified women > 18 years old diagnosed with recurrent MBC between 2008 and 2017 with evidence of enrollment in a commercial plan (Premera or Regence), Medicare, or Medicaid. Recurrence in Stage I-III patients was detected through identification of ICD 9/10 codes for metastatic disease or resumption of breast cancer systemic therapy (after minimum of 4 months from completion of early breast cancer therapy). Using claims, we identified receipt of and factors associated with biopsy, biomarker re-assessment, and treatment administered at recurrence. Results: We identified 715 patients with recurrent MBC (any ER or HER2 status) with median age of 62 (range 52-73). The majority of the cohort were Caucasian (89%) with the rest comprising of Asian, Black, American Indian, and Hispanic patients. Based on the Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) classification, patients predominantly lived in metropolitan neighborhoods (97%). Approximately 13% of patients lived in areas of high deprivation (area of deprivation index, ADI, 8-10). Patients had either Commercial (53.1%), Medicaid (4.2%), Medicare (29.7%) or multiple (13.0%) insurance. Patients were primarily treated at high volume centers (70.9%), though 23% of patients were seen at low volume centers (<25 breast cancer patients/year). Of the patients with recurrent MBC, 49.5% received a biopsy to confirm metastatic diagnosis. Similarly, 48.7% of recurrent MBC patients underwent biomarker reassessment. Patients with highest co-morbidity index (>2) were more likely to undergo biopsy confirmation (20.3% vs 13.0%, p = 0.02). Biopsy was more often performed in patients receiving care at a high-volume center compared to low-volume center (74.3% vs 18.6%, p = 0.03). First line treatment selection was directly associated with receipt of biopsy and biomarker testing. Hormone therapy only was more common in patients who did not undergo biopsy (62.3% vs 37.7%, p <0.001) or biomarker reassessment (62.7% vs 37.3%, p <0.001). Conclusions: Our study shows there is variation across Washington state in biopsy and biomarker assessment in the diagnosis of recurrent metastatic breast cancer. Nearly half of cases had metastatic biopsy omitted. Our findings demonstrate downstream implications for treatment selection and support the need for quality initiatives to improve adherence to guidelines.

e13640 Background: Evidence-based, national guidelines for the diagnosis of recurrent metastatic breast cancer (MBC) recommend confirmation of recurrence with biopsy and reassessment of biomarker status. Real world practice patterns may demonstrate disparities in adherence to guidelines with implications for patients and health systems. Methods: We utilized the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) data repository that links Washington State cancer registry data to enrollment and claims from the major insurance payers in the state. We identified women > 18 years old diagnosed with recurrent MBC between 2008 and 2017 with evidence of enrollment in a commercial plan (Premera or Regence), Medicare, or Medicaid. Recurrence in Stage I-III patients was detected through identification of ICD 9/10 codes for metastatic disease or resumption of breast cancer systemic therapy (after minimum of 4 months from completion of early breast cancer therapy). Using claims, we identified receipt of and factors associated with biopsy, biomarker re-assessment, and treatment administered at recurrence. Results: We identified 715 patients with recurrent MBC (any ER or HER2 status) with median age of 62 (range 52-73). The majority of the cohort were Caucasian (89%) with the rest comprising of Asian, Black, American Indian, and Hispanic patients. Based on the Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) classification, patients predominantly lived in metropolitan neighborhoods (97%). Approximately 13% of patients lived in areas of high deprivation (area of deprivation index, ADI, 8-10). Patients had either Commercial (53.1%), Medicaid (4.2%), Medicare (29.7%) or multiple (13.0%) insurance. Patients were primarily treated at high volume centers (70.9%), though 23% of patients were seen at low volume centers (<25 breast cancer patients/year). Of the patients with recurrent MBC, 49.5% received a biopsy to confirm metastatic diagnosis. Similarly, 48.7% of recurrent MBC patients underwent biomarker reassessment. Patients with highest co-morbidity index (>2) were more likely to undergo biopsy confirmation (20.3% vs 13.0%, p = 0.02). Biopsy was more often performed in patients receiving care at a high-volume center compared to low-volume center (74.3% vs 18.6%, p = 0.03). First line treatment selection was directly associated with receipt of biopsy and biomarker testing. Hormone therapy only was more common in patients who did not undergo biopsy (62.3% vs 37.7%, p <0.001) or biomarker reassessment (62.7% vs 37.3%, p <0.001). Conclusions: Our study shows there is variation across Washington state in biopsy and biomarker assessment in the diagnosis of recurrent metastatic breast cancer. Nearly half of cases had metastatic biopsy omitted. Our findings demonstrate downstream implications for treatment selection and support the need for quality initiatives to improve adherence to guidelines.

Durante la década de los años cincuenta del pasado siglo la ciudad de Milán creció a un ritmo acelerado al tratar de acomodar a la población que, como consecuencia de los movimientos migratorios acaecidos al final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, se había ido alojando en la periferia. Algunas entidades, como la Diócesis de esta ciudad, trataron de dar ayuda espiritual a los habitantes de estas áreas en crecimiento, consolidándose esta iniciativa en un plan de construcción de nuevos complejos parroquiales en los alrededores de la ciudad. En el año 1955 es nombrado Arzobispo de Milán Giovanni Battista Montini, futuro Papa Pablo VI, que será una figura clave, el verdadero artífice tanto de este plan de construcción de iglesias como de la modernización de la imagen de la arquitectura sacra en Milán. Montini encargó muchos de los proyectos a arquitectos innovadores de experiencia probada, que trabajaban habitualmente en Milán o en otras zonas de Italia, pero también solicitó la redacción de algunos proyectos a jóvenes arquitectos que apenas tenían experiencia en el campo de la arquitectura eclesiástica. Con él, el ritmo de construcción de iglesias se incrementó considerablemente en los alrededores de la ciudad, llegando a levantarse en esos años más de cien nuevos edificios sacros. La intención de este texto es señalar, a través de una serie de ejemplos relevantes, entre los que destaca la iglesia Mater Misericoridae, cómo la Diócesis de Milán contribuyó, mediante una renovación de la imagen de la Iglesia como institución a través de su arquitectura, a definir la identidad de algunos barrios periféricos de la ciudad. En ellos, las nuevas construcciones eclesiásticas se convirtieron en hitos, símbolos de una importante renovación litúrgica que se había iniciado unas décadas antes en otros puntos de Europa Algunas de las nuevas propuestas arquitectónicas, en las que la Iglesia Católica apostó por apoyar la reconciliación entre arte moderno y arte sacro, se convirtieron en modelos de referencia en los que confluían tradición y modernidad. El caso concreto de la Iglesia Mater Misericordiae permite reconocer un alto grado de experimentación, muy por encima de otras arquitecturas coetáneas, tanto religiosas como civiles, muestra de la apuesta que la Diócesis milanesa, y en concreto el Cardenal Montini, hizo al apoyar la construcción de un proyecto renovador de verdadero carácter vanguardista.PALABRAS CLAVE: Milán de posguerra, arquitectura sacra, renovación litúrgica, iglesia y modernidad. During the 50s’ the city of Milan experienced a fast growth to accommodate the population that arrived into the city as a consequence of the migratory movements that took place at the end of the Second World War. Some organizations, such as the Archbishopric of the city, tried to provide with spiritual help to the inhabitants of this developing areas. This initiative turned into a plan for the construction of new parish churches in the settlements around the city. In the year 1955 Giovanni Battista Montini - who a few years later would become pope Paulus VI- Became archbishop of Milan and took over the management and planning for the construction of new churches. He was responsible for the modern image of sacred architecture in this city. Montini commissioned a group of innovative architects with proven experience that had already worked in Milan or other parts of Italy to deliver some of the Projects. At the same time, he appointed a group of young architects with relatively little experience in the field of ecclesiastical architecture and put them in charge of a second group of projects projects. Under Montini the rhythm of churches construction in the neighborhoods around Milan increased considerably and more than one hundred churches were constructed during this period and the following years. This paper discusses the contribution of the Diocese of Milan, within the renovation of the church as an institution through its architecture, to define the identity of some of the new peripheral areas of the city. For this purpose, some of the most interesting examples of architecture constructed during this period have been selected. Among all this constructions the church of Mater Misericordiae can be singled out for a number of reasons. These new sacred constructions became symbols of the important Liturgical renewal that had started a few decades before in some other parts of Europe. Some of these new architectural proposals, in which the Catholic Church tried to reconcile modern and sacred art, became new models of reference in which tradition and modernity went hand by hand. In the case of the church of Mater Misericordiae a high level of experimentation, well above some other contemporary sacred and civil constructions, can be recognized. This is an evidence of Montini’s commitment, to support a really avant-garde renewal project.KEYWORDS: Post-war Milan, Sacred Architecture, Liturgical renewal, church and modernity.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The study aims to identify patient and provider factors associated with delay in diagnostic resolution after an abnormal screening mammogram, with an emphasis on whether patients who spoke Chinese as their primary language sustained longer times to resolution. Primary outcome is to identify what proportion of patients achieve diagnostic resolution after abnormal screening mammogram within 90 days. Secondary outcome is to identify whether Chinese-speaking patients experience longer times to diagnostic resolution. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study at Tufts Medical Center (TMC), a tertiary care hospital that serves as the primary referral site for the Chinatown neighborhood in Boston. We included patients who underwent screening mammogram between 10/1/2015-9/30/2016 which was resulted as BIRADS-0 (non-diagnostic). Diagnostic resolution was defined as BIRADS-1, 2, or 3 imaging or definitive biopsy. We collected data on patient demographics (age, insurance plan, race/ethnicity, primary language, history of cancer), provider characteristics (referring provider location), and post-referral testing. Insurance was categorized as private-only or subsidized. Poverty was categorized using the American Fact Finder database, with a binary variable of <20% of ≥20% people in poverty for a given zip code. We performed descriptive statistics for all variables. We will perform multivariable Cox regression analyses to determine whether Chinese-speaking patients experience longer time to diagnostic resolution, adjusting for age, referring provider type, insurance status, poverty, and breast cancer history. We will use p<0.05 for our threshold for significance. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We identified 386 patients who met inclusion criteria. Over half (55.9%) of patients were Caucasian, the mean age of study patients was 59 years, and 22% of patients were classified as poor. English was the most commonly spoken primary language (77.7%), while 15.3% of patients identified a Chinese dialect as their primary language. Most patients solely used private insurance for their medical care (73.1%). Majority of patients (83%) presented after undergoing a routine screening mammography, but a considerable proportion (14.4%) had prior breast cancer or a palpable mass. Most patients were referred for their screening mammogram by a hospital-based provider at TMC (85%), of which 77% of TMC referrals were from primary care. We also noted a limited number of referrals from community health centers, private practices and other PCP’s (Table 1). We will calculate median time to diagnostic resolution after screening mammogram and the proportion of patients who achieve resolution within 90 days. We will also calculate time to initiation of diagnostic workup, and whether this differed among Chinese-speaking patients, subsidized patients, or among those who were referred from outside of TMC. We will complete Cox multivariable analysis to identify if Chinese-speaking patients experience longer time to diagnostic resolution, adjusting for age, insurance status, Primary care provider location, poverty, and prior history of breast cancer. We will a priori test for an interaction between primary care provider within Tufts and Chinese as primary language to identify if a PCP within TMC modifies the relationship between Chinese language and time to resolution. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The proposed study will identify whether disparities exist in time to achieving diagnostic resolution. Specifically, we will identify if patients who are primarily Chinese-speaking experience longer time to resolution. Our results will potentially provide the foundation for a patient navigation program to attenuate existing disparities by providing additional support for Chinese speaking patients in breast imaging workup.

In this issue of Journal of Disaster Research, we introduce nine papers on societal responses to recent catastrophic disasters with special focus on long-term recovery processes in Japan and the United States. As disaster impacts increase, we also find that recovery times take longer and the processes for recovery become more complicated. On January 17th of 1995, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the Hanshin and Awaji regions of Japan, resulting in the largest disaster in Japan in 50 years. In this disaster which we call the Kobe earthquake hereafter, over 6,000 people were killed and the damage and losses totaled more than 100 billion US dollars. The long-term recovery from the Kobe earthquake disaster took more than ten years to complete. One of the most important responsibilities of disaster researchers has been to scientifically monitor and record the long-term recovery process following this unprecedented disaster and discern the lessons that can be applied to future disasters. The first seven papers in this issue present some of the key lessons our research team learned from the studying the long-term recovery following the Kobe earthquake disaster. We have two additional papers that deal with two recent disasters in the United States – the terrorist attacks on World Trade Center in New York on September 11 of 2001 and the devastation of New Orleans by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and subsequent levee failures. These disasters have raised a number of new research questions about long-term recovery that US researchers are studying because of the unprecedented size and nature of these disasters’ impacts. Mr. Mammen’s paper reviews the long-term recovery processes observed at and around the World Trade Center site over the last six years. Ms. Johnson’s paper provides a detailed account of the protracted reconstruction planning efforts in the city of New Orleans to illustrate a set of sufficient and necessary conditions for successful recovery. All nine papers in this issue share a theoretical framework for long-term recovery processes which we developed based first upon the lessons learned from the Kobe earthquake and later expanded through observations made following other recent disasters in the world. The following sections provide a brief description of each paper as an introduction to this special issue. 1. The Need for Multiple Recovery Goals After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the long-term recovery process began with the formulation of disaster recovery plans by the City of Kobe – the most severely impacted municipality – and an overarching plan by Hyogo Prefecture which coordinated 20 impacted municipalities; this planning effort took six months. Before the Kobe earthquake, as indicated in Mr. Maki’s paper in this issue, Japanese theories about, and approaches to, recovery focused mainly on physical recovery, particularly: the redevelopment plans for destroyed areas; the location and standards for housing and building reconstruction; and, the repair and rehabilitation of utility systems. But the lingering problems of some of the recent catastrophes in Japan and elsewhere indicate that there are multiple dimensions of recovery that must be considered. We propose that two other key dimensions are economic recovery and life recovery. The goal of economic recovery is the revitalization of the local disaster impacted economy, including both major industries and small businesses. The goal of life recovery is the restoration of the livelihoods of disaster victims. The recovery plans formulated following the 1995 Kobe earthquake, including the City of Kobe’s and Hyogo Prefecture’s plans, all stressed these two dimensions in addition to physical recovery. The basic structure of both the City of Kobe’s and Hyogo Prefecture’s recovery plans are summarized in Fig. 1. Each plan has three elements that work simultaneously. The first and most basic element of recovery is the restoration of damaged infrastructure. This helps both physical recovery and economic recovery. Once homes and work places are recovered, Life recovery of the impacted people can be achieved as the final goal of recovery. Figure 2 provides a “recovery report card” of the progress made by 2006 – 11 years into Kobe’s recovery. Infrastructure was restored in two years, which was probably the fastest infrastructure restoration ever, after such a major disaster; it astonished the world. Within five years, more than 140,000 housing units were constructed using a variety of financial means and ownership patterns, and exceeding the number of demolished housing units. Governments at all levels – municipal, prefectural, and national – provided affordable public rental apartments. Private developers, both local and national, also built condominiums and apartments. Disaster victims themselves also invested a lot to reconstruct their homes. Eleven major redevelopment projects were undertaken and all were completed in 10 years. In sum, the physical recovery following the 1995 Kobe earthquake was extensive and has been viewed as a major success. In contrast, economic recovery and life recovery are still underway more than 13 years later. Before the Kobe earthquake, Japan’s policy approaches to recovery assumed that economic recovery and life recovery would be achieved by infusing ample amounts of public funding for physical recovery into the disaster area. Even though the City of Kobe’s and Hyogo Prefecture’s recovery plans set economic recovery and life recovery as key goals, there was not clear policy guidance to accomplish them. Without a clear articulation of the desired end-state, economic recovery programs for both large and small businesses were ill-timed and ill-matched to the needs of these businesses trying to recover amidst a prolonged slump in the overall Japanese economy that began in 1997. “Life recovery” programs implemented as part of Kobe’s recovery were essentially social welfare programs for low-income and/or senior citizens. 2. Requirements for Successful Physical Recovery Why was the physical recovery following the 1995 Kobe earthquake so successful in terms of infrastructure restoration, the replacement of damaged housing units, and completion of urban redevelopment projects? There are at least three key success factors that can be applied to other disaster recovery efforts: 1) citizen participation in recovery planning efforts, 2) strong local leadership, and 3) the establishment of numerical targets for recovery. Citizen participation As pointed out in the three papers on recovery planning processes by Mr. Maki, Mr. Mammen, and Ms. Johnson, citizen participation is one of the indispensable factors for successful recovery plans. Thousands of citizens participated in planning workshops organized by America Speaks as part of both the World Trade Center and City of New Orleans recovery planning efforts. Although no such workshops were held as part of the City of Kobe’s recovery planning process, citizen participation had been part of the City of Kobe’s general plan update that had occurred shortly before the earthquake. The City of Kobe’s recovery plan is, in large part, an adaptation of the 1995-2005 general plan. On January 13 of 1995, the City of Kobe formally approved its new, 1995-2005 general plan which had been developed over the course of three years with full of citizen participation. City officials, responsible for drafting the City of Kobe’s recovery plan, have later admitted that they were able to prepare the city’s recovery plan in six months because they had the preceding three years of planning for the new general plan with citizen participation. Based on this lesson, Odiya City compiled its recovery plan based on the recommendations obtained from a series of five stakeholder workshops after the 2004 Niigata Chuetsu earthquake. <strong>Fig. 1. </strong> Basic structure of recovery plans from the 1995 Kobe earthquake. <strong>Fig. 2. </strong> “Disaster recovery report card” of the progress made by 2006. Strong leadership In the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake, local leadership had a defining role in the recovery process. Kobe’s former Mayor, Mr. Yukitoshi Sasayama, was hired to work in Kobe City government as an urban planner, rebuilding Kobe following World War II. He knew the city intimately. When he saw damage in one area on his way to the City Hall right after the earthquake, he knew what levels of damage to expect in other parts of the city. It was he who called for the two-month moratorium on rebuilding in Kobe city on the day of the earthquake. The moratorium provided time for the city to formulate a vision and policies to guide the various levels of government, private investors, and residents in rebuilding. It was a quite unpopular policy when Mayor Sasayama announced it. Citizens expected the city to be focusing on shelters and mass care, not a ban on reconstruction. Based on his experience in rebuilding Kobe following WWII, he was determined not to allow haphazard reconstruction in the city. It took several years before Kobe citizens appreciated the moratorium. Numerical targets Former Governor Mr. Toshitami Kaihara provided some key numerical targets for recovery which were announced in the prefecture and municipal recovery plans. They were: 1) Hyogo Prefecture would rebuild all the damaged housing units in three years, 2) all the temporary housing would be removed within five years, and 3) physical recovery would be completed in ten years. All of these numerical targets were achieved. Having numerical targets was critical to directing and motivating all the stakeholders including the national government’s investment, and it proved to be the foundation for Japan’s fundamental approach to recovery following the 1995 earthquake. 3. Economic Recovery as the Prime Goal of Disaster Recovery In Japan, it is the responsibility of the national government to supply the financial support to restore damaged infrastructure and public facilities in the impacted area as soon as possible. The long-term recovery following the Kobe earthquake is the first time, in Japan’s modern history, that a major rebuilding effort occurred during a time when there was not also strong national economic growth. In contrast, between 1945 and 1990, Japan enjoyed a high level of national economic growth which helped facilitate the recoveries following WWII and other large fires. In the first year after the Kobe earthquake, Japan’s national government invested more than US$ 80 billion in recovery. These funds went mainly towards the repair and reconstruction of infrastructure and public facilities. Now, looking back, we can also see that these investments also nearly crushed the local economy. Too much money flowed into the local economy over too short a period of time and it also did not have the “trickle-down” effect that might have been intended. To accomplish numerical targets for physical recovery, the national government awarded contracts to large companies from Osaka and Tokyo. But, these large out-of-town contractors also tended to have their own labor and supply chains already intact, and did not use local resources and labor, as might have been expected. Essentially, ten years of housing supply was completed in less than three years, which led to a significant local economic slump. Large amounts of public investment for recovery are not necessarily a panacea for local businesses, and local economic recovery, as shown in the following two examples from the Kobe earthquake. A significant national investment was made to rebuild the Port of Kobe to a higher seismic standard, but both its foreign export and import trade never recovered to pre-disaster levels. While the Kobe Port was out of business, both the Yokohama Port and the Osaka Port increased their business, even though many economists initially predicted that the Kaohsiung Port in Chinese Taipei or the Pusan Port in Korea would capture this business. Business stayed at all of these ports even after the reopening of the Kobe Port. Similarly, the Hanshin Railway was severely damaged and it took half a year to resume its operation, but it never regained its pre-disaster readership. In this case, two other local railway services, the JR and Hankyu lines, maintained their increased readership even after the Hanshin railway resumed operation. As illustrated by these examples, pre-disaster customers who relied on previous economic output could not necessarily afford to wait for local industries to recover and may have had to take their business elsewhere. Our research suggests that the significant recovery investment made by Japan’s national government may have been a disincentive for new economic development in the impacted area. Government may have been the only significant financial risk-taker in the impacted area during the national economic slow-down. But, its focus was on restoring what had been lost rather than promoting new or emerging economic development. Thus, there may have been a missed opportunity to provide incentives or put pressure on major businesses and industries to develop new businesses and attract new customers in return for the public investment. The significant recovery investment by Japan’s national government may have also created an over-reliance of individuals on public spending and government support. As indicated in Ms. Karatani’s paper, individual savings of Kobe’s residents has continued to rise since the earthquake and the number of individuals on social welfare has also decreased below pre-disaster levels. Based on our research on economic recovery from the Kobe earthquake, at least two lessons emerge: 1) Successful economic recovery requires coordination among all three recovery goals – Economic, Physical and Life Recovery, and 2) “Recovery indices” are needed to better chart recovery progress in real-time and help ensure that the recovery investments are being used effectively. Economic recovery as the prime goal of recovery Physical recovery, especially the restoration of infrastructure and public facilities, may be the most direct and socially accepted provision of outside financial assistance into an impacted area. However, lessons learned from the Kobe earthquake suggest that the sheer amount of such assistance may not be effective as it should be. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, economic recovery should be the top priority goal for recovery among the three goals and serve as a guiding force for physical recovery and life recovery. Physical recovery can be a powerful facilitator of post-disaster economic development by upgrading social infrastructure and public facilities in compliance with economic recovery plans. In this way, it is possible to turn a disaster into an opportunity for future sustainable development. Life recovery may also be achieved with a healthy economic recovery that increases tax revenue in the impacted area. In order to achieve this coordination among all three recovery goals, municipalities in the impacted areas should have access to flexible forms of post-disaster financing. The community development block grant program that has been used after several large disasters in the United States, provide impacted municipalities with a more flexible form of funding and the ability to better determine what to do and when. The participation of key stakeholders is also an indispensable element of success that enables block grant programs to transform local needs into concrete businesses. In sum, an effective economic recovery combines good coordination of national support to restore infrastructure and public facilities and local initiatives that promote community recovery. Developing Recovery Indices Long-term recovery takes time. As Mr. Tatsuki’s paper explains, periodical social survey data indicates that it took ten years before the initial impacts of the Kobe earthquake were no longer affecting the well-being of disaster victims and the recovery was completed. In order to manage this long-term recovery process effectively, it is important to have some indices to visualize the recovery processes. In this issue, three papers by Mr. Takashima, Ms. Karatani, and Mr. Kimura define three different kinds of recovery indices that can be used to continually monitor the progress of the recovery. Mr. Takashima focuses on electric power consumption in the impacted area as an index for impact and recovery. Chronological change in electric power consumption can be obtained from the monthly reports of power company branches. Daily estimates can also be made by tracking changes in city lights using a satellite called DMSP. Changes in city lights can be a very useful recovery measure especially at the early stages since it can be updated daily for anywhere in the world. Ms. Karatani focuses on the chronological patterns of monthly macro-statistics that prefecture and city governments collect as part of their routine monitoring of services and operations. For researchers, it is extremely costly and virtually impossible to launch post-disaster projects that collect recovery data continuously for ten years. It is more practical for researchers to utilize data that is already being collected by local governments or other agencies and use this data to create disaster impact and recovery indices. Ms. Karatani found three basic patterns of disaster impact and recovery in the local government data that she studied: 1) Some activities increased soon after the disaster event and then slumped, such as housing construction; 2) Some activities reduced sharply for a period of time after the disaster and then rebounded to previous levels, such as grocery consumption; and 3) Some activities reduced sharply for a while and never returned to previous levels, such as the Kobe Port and Hanshin Railway. Mr. Kimura focuses on the psychology of disaster victims. He developed a “recovery and reconstruction calendar” that clarifies the process that disaster victims undergo in rebuilding their shattered lives. His work is based on the results of random surveys. Despite differences in disaster size and locality, survey data from the 1995 Kobe earthquake and the 2004 Niigata-ken Chuetsu earthquake indicate that the recovery and reconstruction calendar is highly reliable and stable in clarifying the recovery and reconstruction process. <strong>Fig. 3.</strong> Integrated plan of disaster recovery. 4. Life Recovery as the Ultimate Goal of Disaster Recovery Life recovery starts with the identification of the disaster victims. In Japan, local governments in the impacted area issue a “damage certificate” to disaster victims by household, recording the extent of each victim’s housing damage. After the Kobe earthquake, a total of 500,000 certificates were issued. These certificates, in turn, were used by both public and private organizations to determine victim’s eligibility for individual assistance programs. However, about 30% of those victims who received certificates after the Kobe earthquake were dissatisfied with the results of assessment. This caused long and severe disputes for more than three years. Based on the lessons learned from the Kobe earthquake, Mr. Horie’s paper presents (1) a standardized procedure for building damage assessment and (2) an inspector training system. This system has been adopted as the official building damage assessment system for issuing damage certificates to victims of the 2004 Niigata-ken Chuetsu earthquake, the 2007 Noto-Peninsula earthquake, and the 2007 Niigata-ken Chuetsu Oki earthquake. Personal and family recovery, which we term life recovery, was one of the explicit goals of the recovery plan from the Kobe earthquake, but it was unclear in both recovery theory and practice as to how this would be measured and accomplished. Now, after studying the recovery in Kobe and other regions, Ms. Tamura’s paper proposes that there are seven elements that define the meaning of life recovery for disaster victims. She recently tested this model in a workshop with Kobe disaster victims. The seven elements and victims’ rankings are shown in Fig. 4. Regaining housing and restoring social networks were, by far, the top recovery indicators for victims. Restoration of neighborhood character ranked third. Demographic shifts and redevelopment plans implemented following the Kobe earthquake forced significant neighborhood changes upon many victims. Next in line were: having a sense of being better prepared and reducing their vulnerability to future disasters; regaining their physical and mental health; and restoration of their income, job, and the economy. The provision of government assistance also provided victims with a sense of life recovery. Mr. Tatsuki’s paper summarizes the results of four random-sample surveys of residents within the most severely impacted areas of Hyogo Prefecture. These surveys were conducted biannually since 1999,. Based on the results of survey data from 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005, it is our conclusion that life recovery took ten years for victims in the area impacted significantly by the Kobe earthquake. Fig. 5 shows that by comparing the two structural equation models of disaster recovery (from 2003 and 2005), damage caused by the Kobe earthquake was no longer a determinant of life recovery in the 2005 model. It was still one of the major determinants in the 2003 model as it was in 1999 and 2001. This is the first time in the history of disaster research that the entire recovery process has been scientifically described. It can be utilized as a resource and provide benchmarks for monitoring the recovery from future disasters. <strong>Fig. 4.</strong> Ethnographical meaning of “life recovery” obtained from the 5th year review of the Kobe earthquake by the City of Kobe. <strong>Fig. 5.</strong> Life recovery models of 2003 and 2005. 6. The Need for an Integrated Recovery Plan The recovery lessons from Kobe and other regions suggest that we need more integrated recovery plans that use physical recovery as a tool for economic recovery, which in turn helps disaster victims. Furthermore, we believe that economic recovery should be the top priority for recovery, and physical recovery should be regarded as a tool for stimulating economic recovery and upgrading social infrastructure (as shown in Fig. 6). With this approach, disaster recovery can help build the foundation for a long-lasting and sustainable community. Figure 6 proposes a more detailed model for a more holistic recovery process. The ultimate goal of any recovery process should be achieving life recovery for all disaster victims. We believe that to get there, both direct and indirect approaches must be taken. Direct approaches include: the provision of funds and goods for victims, for physical and mental health care, and for housing reconstruction. Indirect approaches for life recovery are those which facilitate economic recovery, which also has both direct and indirect approaches. Direct approaches to economic recovery include: subsidies, loans, and tax exemptions. Indirect approaches to economic recovery include, most significantly, the direct projects to restore infrastructure and public buildings. More subtle approaches include: setting new regulations or deregulations, providing technical support, and creating new businesses. A holistic recovery process needs to strategically combine all of these approaches, and there must be collaborative implementation by all the key stakeholders, including local governments, non-profit and non-governmental organizations (NPOs and NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and the private sector. Therefore, community and stakeholder participation in the planning process is essential to achieve buy-in for the vision and desired outcomes of the recovery plan. Securing the required financial resources is also critical to successful implementation. In thinking of stakeholders, it is important to differentiate between supporting entities and operating agencies. Supporting entities are those organizations that supply the necessary funding for recovery. Both Japan’s national government and the federal government in the U.S. are the prime supporting entities in the recovery from the 1995 Kobe earthquake and the 2001 World Trade Center recovery. In Taiwan, the Buddhist organization and the national government of Taiwan were major supporting entities in the recovery from the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake. Operating agencies are those organizations that implement various recovery measures. In Japan, local governments in the impacted area are operating agencies, while the national government is a supporting entity. In the United States, community development block grants provide an opportunity for many operating agencies to implement various recovery measures. As Mr. Mammen’ paper describes, many NPOs, NGOs, and/or CBOs in addition to local governments have had major roles in implementing various kinds programs funded by block grants as part of the World Trade Center recovery. No one, single organization can provide effective help for all kinds of disaster victims individually or collectively. The needs of disaster victims may be conflicting with each other because of their diversity. Their divergent needs can be successfully met by the diversity of operating agencies that have responsibility for implementing recovery measures. In a similar context, block grants made to individual households, such as microfinance, has been a vital recovery mechanism for victims in Thailand who suffered from the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami disaster. Both disaster victims and government officers at all levels strongly supported the microfinance so that disaster victims themselves would become operating agencies for recovery. Empowering individuals in sustainable life recovery is indeed the ultimate goal of recovery. <strong>Fig. 6.</strong> A holistic recovery policy model.

Green neighborhood is a neighborhood that practices a way of life to meet the needs of people's activities. Green neighbourhoods can form friendships, practice agricultural areas, use renewable energy methods and maintain sensitive nature. This practice also makes easy access to home, workplace, infrastructure, public utilities, transit facilities and easily accessible in neighbourhood. Conflicts between rapid development and communities required a new paradigm to understand about the relationships between green neighbourhood and communities. The objectives of the paper are to study the implementation of green neighbourhood initiatives in Putrajaya, Selangor and Johor and to determine their element of sustainability in the green action plans. The action plans and programs by local authorities in green neighbourhood initiative was summarised in a framework. The methodology of study base on document analysis which related to the green city and neighbourhood initiatives conducted by the study area is summarised in the tabulation of action or program. Based on the result’s analysis, it indicated each study area has created its own approaches and strategies of sustainability by adopting impressive programs and strategies such as implementing pedestrian walkway, bicycle lane, community farming, rainwater harvesting, composting and others. The action and program in green neighbourhood and green city by the local authorities are their commitment to social, economic and environment. Local Authorities and the private agencies can contribute their commitment in order to implement green neighbourhood with having a comprehensive action plan. In conclusion green neighbourhood implementation in Putrajaya, Johor and Selangor practices as an action for the present and future development.

Abstract“Race” and “ethnicity” are socially constructed terms, not based on biology - in contrast to biologic ancestry and genetic admixture - and are flexible, contested, and unstable concepts, often driven by power. Although individuals may self-identify with a given race and ethnic group, as multidimensional beings exposed to differential life influencing factors that contribute to disease risk, additional social determinants of health (SDOH) should be explored to understand the relationship of race or ethnicity to health. Potential health effects of structural racism, defined as “the structures, policies, practices, and norms resulting in differential access to goods, services, and opportunities of society by “race,” have been largely ignored in medical research. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was expected to enroll a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of older women at 40 U.S. clinical centers between 1993 and 1998; yet, key information on the racial and ethnic make-up of the WHI cohort of 161,808 women was limited until a 2020–2021 Task Force was charged by the WHI Steering Committee to better characterize the WHI cohort and develop recommendations for WHI investigators who want to include “race” and/or “ethnicity” in papers and presentations. As the lessons learned are of relevance to most cohorts, the essence of the WHI Race and Ethnicity Language and Data Interpretation Guide is presented in this paper. Recommendations from the WHI Race and Ethnicity Language and Data Interpretation Guide include: Studies should be designed to include all populations and researchers should actively, purposefully and with cultural-relevance, commit to recruiting a diverse sample; Researchers should collect robust data on race, ethnicity and SDOH variables that may intersect with participant identities, such as immigration status, country of origin, acculturation, current residence and neighborhood, religion; Authors should use appropriate terminology, based on a participant’s self-identified “race” and “ethnicity”, and provide clear rationale, including a conceptual framework, for including race and ethnicity in the analytic plan; Researchers should employ appropriate analytical methods, including mixed-methods, to study the relationship of these sociocultural variables to health; Authors should address how representative study participants are of the population to which results might apply, such as by age, race and ethnicity.

Abstract In June 2018, about 218 metric tons of heavy fuel oil gushed into the harbor of Rotterdam (NL) following the rupturing of the hull of the Bow Jubail at a jetty. Due to tidal activity, the oil from the unloaded chemical tanker quickly spread out over a 30+ km waterway where many hundreds of Mute swans were moulting at the time. A citizen's initiative quickly led to the capture of over 200 swans from the water and shores, and their transport to some bird rehab centers in the immediate neighborhood. For the authorities this massive impact that overwhelmed the available resources of the permanent centers was the trigger to activate the national oiled wildlife response plan. The activation of the national plan goes hand in hand with the decision to build a large temporary facility that needs to be fully operational within 48 hours to receive the impacted live animals for treatment. The building of the such a facility, but also the staffing that is needed to care for 600 impacted swans is a challenging task and needs fast decision taking by experts who can oversee the particular needs of swans, and are able to inform logistics about equipment and materials needed. In parallel, a large number of experts must be mobilized who can lead and process the impacted animals once the temporary facility is ready for operations. For some part these resources were available in the Netherlands, but many more experts needed to be mobilized from abroad. The mobilization procedures of both EUROWA network and the GOWRS network were activated, leading to a large number of experts who indicated their availability. Meanwhile, the authorities took decisions on the authorization of the international mobilization, and when green lighted, the experts were asked to come over. This paper describes the decision making in the early days, and the way that arriving experts were deployed in the facility. The use of international guidelines for this process and the ease by which international experts could work together thanks to many years of investments into local and international preparedness will be highlighted. The rehabilitation of 522 mute swans took a full month (30 days), after which 97.5% of the animals had been successfully released.

Abstract One neighborhood in Groningen, the Netherlands, is a neighborhood housing about 12,000 citizens with on average a low-SES background, showing a less healthy and active lifestyle. In the past, initiatives have been undertaken to promote active lifestyle by implementing outdoor facilities stimulating physical activity. However, use of facilities was poor due to lack of citizen involvement. Aim of this project was to engage citizens in the overall process of capturing, plan making and prototyping of concepts for an exercise-friendly physical and social environment. From January 2020 - May 2022 a Living Lab was run following the ‘Our Voice’ citizen science method. Participatory citizen science was applied in which a community of stakeholders (public/private parties) and citizens was built. The community addressed the problem by creating more insight in promoting/degrading features in the neighborhood concerning an active lifestyle. Citizens (n = 40) used the Stanford Neighborhood Discovery Tool, which allowed for systematic observations of the physical environment. Additionally, emergent research walks gave extra information on neighborhood barriers/facilitators next to Discovery Tool data. Collected data allowed citizens to brainstorm on possible solutions in sessions facilitated by the researchers. Solutions were presented to local government and further developed for implementation and realization. Use of the Discovery Tool created an overview of the neighborhood. Based on positive/negative features, new ideas were generated for improving exercise-friendliness. One example was a walking route along art objects in the neighborhood. Furthermore, a citizens work group was formed which discussed this route, and other ideas and prototypes, with local government. This group was also involved in realization of prototypes. Our project resulted in a citizen science approach which can be transferred to other neighborhoods. Use of Discovery Tool showed many benefits for neighborhood plan making. Early and continuous involvement of citizens will lead to more sustainable engagement and is a powerful method to create engagement around societal problems and social innovation in the field of Health Enhancing Physical Activity. A transferable method for neighborhood development based on citizen science was developed. Key feature in our method was integration of design thinking, citizen engagement, and use of digital tools.

Abstract It is widely known that people from a low-SES background show a less healthy and active lifestyle. One neighborhood in Groningen, the Netherlands, is a neighborhood housing about 12,000 citizens with on average a low-SES background. In the past, initiatives have been undertaken to promote an active lifestyle by implementing outdoor facilities stimulating physical activity. However, use of these facilities was poor due to lack of citizen involvement. Aim of this project was to engage citizens in the overall process of capturing, plan making and prototyping of concepts for an exercise-friendly physical and social environment. In the period from January-November 2020 a Living Lab was set up following the “Our Voice” citizen science method. Participatory citizen science was applied in which a community of stakeholders (public and private parties) and citizens was set up. This composes the first step of design thinking: empathizing. The community addressed the aforementioned problem by creating more insight in promoting or degrading features in the neighborhood concerning an active lifestyle (design thinking step 2: defining). For this, citizens made use of the Stanford Neighborhood Discovery Tool. Due to local COVID-19 restrictions, citizens did not collect data individually but were accompanied by a researcher during research walks. The Tool allowed for systematic observations of the physical environment. Additionally, the emergent research walks gave additional information on neighborhood barriers and facilitators next to Discovery Tool data. Use of the Discovery Tool created an overview of the neighborhood. Based on positive and negative features, new ideas were generated for improving exercise-friendliness (design thinking steps 3 and 4: ideating and prototyping). Furthermore, a work group of citizens was formed which discussed their prototypes with the local government and will be involved in carrying out the ideas. Our project resulted in a citizen science approach which can be transferred to other neighborhoods. Use of the Discovery Tool showed many benefits for plan making for the neighborhood. Early and continuous involvement of citizens will lead to more sustainable engagement and is a powerful method to create engagement around societal problems and social innovation in the field of Health Enhancing Physical Activity.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and financial Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a local affiliation in south Asia, regarding seven Member States together with India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. These States are within the littoral and close by territories of the Bay of Bengal setting up a coterminous neighborhood cohesion and framing a neighborhood monetary region. The prime Minister of India forced at the combination self-control to bestow crisp strength to BIMSTEC at some stage in its 20thanniversary in 2017. The district however was joined clearly with a rich social legacy yet submit decolonization got impregnated with wrongdoings like rebellion, mental oppression, opiates sneaking, dealing, illegal relocation which provoked the component states to preserve in thoughts inward and fringe safety troubles on want inner characterised wards. The territories of collaboration indoors BIMSTEC that may cover Bay management can also contain change, technology, delivery and communication, Tourism, Fisheries, and surroundings &weather trade. BIMSTEC pioneers stressed the importance of blue economic system and consented to participate on this phase for low in price development of the vicinity. They selected to build up an Inter-administrative expert organisation to accumulate an hobby plan on blue financial device, remembering the excellent wishes and situations of the landlocked Member States. The BIMSTEC pioneers referred to with fulfillment the facilitating of global Blue economy conference in Bangladesh in 2017 with the cooperation of government agents from BIMSTEC Member States. For India, it's far a characteristic diploma to meet the vital aspect worldwide approach wishes of "network First" and "Act East." The actual circulate outskirt troubles which are influencing the angling business corporation in the Bay amongst others encompass a declining sample in the preferred accessibility of fish; adjustments in species association of gets; the excessive quantity of half of of evolved fish inside the seize; and adjustments in marine biodiversity, mainly through lack of defenseless and jeopardized species. Angling covers national purviews, both legitimately and wrongfully. This has been a sticky problem amongst India and Bangladesh and a extremely increasingly more maximum crucial problem amongst India and Sri Lanka. The real skip fringe problems figuring out with residing regions relate to the misfortune and debasement of mangroves, coral reefs and the lack of, and damage to, ocean grasses. Environmental trade outcomes are shared through all BIMSTEC thing international locations. Exclusive problems of fear within the Bay monetary device relate to nourishment security goals of the seashore terrible, absence of seaside the front development plans, expanding exchange items from waterfront herbal environment, beach advancement and industrialization, ineffectual marine ensured regions and lack of implementation, upstream improvement that impacts waterstream, escalated upstream horticultural practices, and increasing especially appointed the journey enterprise. Infection of the Bay is an immoderate trouble. Aside from industrial business enterprise problems there are crimes that are continuing over the Bay. Consequently, it has was even more super for the BIMSTEC to draft a approach of legitimate collaboration some of the detail states for better management of the Bay with the purpose that a manageable Blue monetary gadget can create and construct the GDP of element states complex. The BIMSTEC wishes to growth its viability inside the route of a advanced administration of the Bay.

Today’s cities are seeking more social equity—a response in part to police violence, pandemic disparities, and the racial wealth gap. Activists, planners, and local government reformers are looking for bold examples of equity planning—single initiatives and multi-faceted equity plans. The mayoral administration of Harold Washington in Chicago (1983–1987) shows how a grassroots electoral campaign combined with participatory policy development produced the Chicago Works Together (CWT) Development Plan—that promoted jobs, neighborhoods, and citizen participation. This article recounts the development of CWT and examines the impacts of CWT for Chicago and equity planning.

BackgroundCommunity sports leaders (CSLs) are expected to play an important role in promoting regional sports in Japan. Increased opportunities for CSLs to work in schools and engage with guardians could encourage middle-aged adults to participate in regional sports activities. However, few CSLs work with guardians, and there is no evidence regarding what CSL characteristics encourage collaboration. The present study aimed to ascertain the aspects of coordination for CSLs collaborating with guardians in urban areas.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire survey was mailed to all 1,489 CSLs through 59 municipalities using the CSL out of 62 in Tokyo, Japan, from July to November 2021. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic data, variables related to CSL activities, coordination functions, and experience collaborating with guardians. We conducted a binomial logistic regression analysis using experience collaborating with guardians as the dependent variable, coordination function as the explanatory variable, and gender, age, residence duration, years of CSL experience, and the number of activities as covariates.ResultsThe analyzed sample comprised 478 CSLs. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between experience collaborating with guardians and the coordination function of internal/external CSL organizations, such as participation in non-CSL community activities, experience teaching and supporting their own children's sports, activity initiatives, number of times they used the school gymnasium, awareness of the regional sports plan, and cooperation with the chairman of the neighborhood association.ConclusionsCollaboration with guardians was related to CSL's individual experience engaging in regional sports from parenting and community collaboration, such as participation in non-CSL community activities and their relationship with the chairman of the neighborhood association. CSL activities may have the potential to encourage middle-aged adults to participate in regional sports.

When disasters strike, vulnerable areas that are economically disadvantaged are adversely affected economically, culturally, and healthily, as the lack of resources and vulnerabilities amplify their problems. This research focuses on the population specifics of disaster vulnerabilities and targeted policies for economically depressed neighborhoods in Oklahoma. Relative to less susceptible entities, poor people are likelier to take damage from tornados, winter storms, wildland fires, and flooding because they lack the resources required for preparation, response, and recovery. Through an equity-focused lens, the study examines four key factors amplifying disaster risk: those due to aging critical infrastructure, lack of insurance and savings, health disparities, or the failure to plan adequately. Collapsed stormwater drainage systems, roads, bridges, and water pipes in financially deprived communities experience cracks in a hurry during duresses. With little or no funds, families earning every paycheck cannot afford to purchase rescue insurance or, in the case of names, save money to build an emergency fund, including money to cover repair costs, temporary housing, and other costs. This is, of course, made even worse by any previously existing medical, disability, or mental health issues as well, with poorer health outcomes than might usually be expected since access to healthcare services, treatments, and medications is also disrupted. Lastly, language and education barriers lead to the lower development of disaster plans; the delays include access to early warning systems and a need for more awareness of risks among vulnerable groups. Given these weaknesses, the study offers policymakers, funders, and resilience practitioner’s implementable policy, investment, and community-oriented intervention recommendations. The hazards can be lessened by prioritizing infrastructure upgrades, insurance reduction, and commitment to spread-out shelters and relief supplies. Long-term recovery programs financed specifically by equal aid promote program equity of rebuilding. Regarding inclusive messaging on public preparation and early warnings, local trusted institutions should be appropriated to reach a diverse population. Collaborative networks among government agencies, relief organizations, businesses, and grassroots associations can bolster response capacity. Their unified efforts on localized resilience initiatives advance strategic plans for the state's most economically fragile neighborhoods. Implementation should focus on those with the highest vulnerability markers and the least ability to prepare, respond, and recover independently— metrics assessing community functionality, equity factors, and recovering spending offer evidence-based progress milestones. With climate change projected to increase disaster severity in Oklahoma, research-driven and equitable resilience policies for marginalized communities can reduce prolonged suffering. Tailored preparation, outreach, critical system backups, and financial support lessen acute shocks and accelerate recovery. However, sustainable policy change relies on addressing root socioeconomic inequalities through systemic interventions beyond immediate disaster management.

ObjectiveDescribe the development of an individual-level tracking system for community-based naloxone dispensing as part of New York City’s (NYC) comprehensive plan to reduce overdose deaths. We present data from the first year of the initiative to illustrate results of the tracking system and describe the potential impact on naloxone dispensing program.IntroductionThe number of unintentional overdose deaths in New York City (NYC) has increased for seven consecutive years. In 2017, there were 1,487 unintentional drug overdose deaths in NYC. Over 80% of these deaths involved an opioid, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription pain relievers.1 As part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce overdose mortality in NYC, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH) Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) Program makes naloxone kits available to laypeople free-of-charge through registered Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs (OOPPs). Naloxone kits contain two doses of naloxone and educational materials. The OEND Program distributes kits to registered OOPPs, which then dispense kits to individuals via community-based trainings. In this context, distribution refers to kits shipped to programs, whereas dispensing refers to kits given to individuals. Increased NYC funding has enabled recruitment of more OOPPs—including syringe exchange programs, public safety agencies, shelters, drug treatment programs, health care facilities, and other community-based programs—and greater dispensing of naloxone kits to laypeople. Naloxone distribution has undergone a dramatic expansion, from 2,500 kits in 2009 to 61,706 kits in 2017.2 In 2018, DOHMH aims to distribute more than 100,000 kits to OOPPs.In order to target naloxone dispensing to neighborhoods in NYC with the highest overdose burden, we developed a tracking system able to capture individual-level geographic data about naloxone kit recipients. Prior to the development of the tracking system, DOHMH collected quarterly, aggregate-level naloxone dispensing data from OOPPs. These data included only the OOPPs’ ZIP Codes but not recipient residence. OOPP ZIP Code was used as a proxy for kits dispensed to individuals. Without individual-level geographic information, however, we could not determine whether naloxone kit dispensing reached people in neighborhoods with high overdose mortality rates. To overcome these barriers, DOHMH developed a comprehensive but flexible individual-level data collection method.MethodsTo both capture individual-level data from each naloxone recipient in NYC and meet the needs of OOPPs’ varying capacities, dispensing settings, and any existing organizational data requirements, DOHMH devised a two-pronged data collection system. The Naloxone Recipient Form (NRF) system, launched January 1, 2018, primarily employs a short paper form (or NRF) to collect dispensing data. The NRF is a one-page document designed with the OpenText™ TeleForm processing application. It captures individual data and OOPP information. Individual data include: reason for obtaining a kit, whether first-time receipt of a kit, age, and ZIP Code of residence. OOPP information includes: program name and ZIP Code of dispensing location. Forms are completed by OOPPs and recipients at OEND trainings, compiled by the OOPP, then scanned back to DOHMH. We then import forms into TeleForm, which reads the NRF data directly into a database without need for manual data entry and only moderate need for data verification. The second component of the NRF system allows larger organizations and dispensers in clinical settings with electronic health records to submit data extracts to DOHMH that are pulled directly from organizations’ data systems. Together with these organizations, we customized these data extracts for direct importation into the master NRF database.To demonstrate improvements in our tracking of naloxone dispensing after the development of the NRF system, we mapped the geographic spread of naloxone kits in NYC during the first three months of 2018 (Q1 2018) by recipients’ ZIP Code of residence and OOPPs’ ZIP Codes.ResultsA total of 138 OOPPs2 reported any dispensing from January to June, 2018, of which 107 reported individual-level data using the NRF system, accounting for 27,899 kits dispensed to 23,610 individual recipients.3 Logistical barriers to implementing the NRF system varied among OOPPs, thus the data underestimate citywide dispensing during this time period. Some OOPPs experienced delays in reporting recipient-level data until a more-tailored data collection strategy was devised. Visual inspection of OOPP-level distribution and individual-level dispensing maps using Q1 2018 data (See Figures 1 and 2) demonstrate the difference between OOPP-level distribution data and individual-level dispensing data. Mapping data indicate that the largest numbers of naloxone kits were dispensed to people in neighborhoods with the highest burden of overdose in NYC.ConclusionsThe NRF system provides DOHMH, as well as OOPPs in NYC, with individual-level data to more accurately track naloxone dispensing citywide. The simplicity and flexibility of the NRF system allows for timely and geographically precise data collection from dozens of organizations across NYC with little or no additional cost to OOPPs. As new organizations have registered as OOPPs, particularly large health care or human services systems, DOHMH has developed new methods for incorporating dispensing data into the NRF system. Ongoing communication with OOPPs of all types and an iterative data collection improvement process have ensured that the system remains comprehensive while also being responsive to individual program’s capacities and data needs.References1. Nolan ML, Tuazon E, Blachman-Forshay J, Paone D. Unintentional Drug Poisoning (Overdose) Deaths in New York City, 2000-2017. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Epi Data Brief (104); September 2018.2. NYC DOHMH Opioid Overdose Prevention Program (OOPP) Database. All data is provisional.3. NYC DOHMH Naloxone Recipient Form (NRF) Database. All data is provisional.

This thesis focuses on area-based asset management of housing associations. In this thesis you can find out how housing associations establish coherent intentions regarding the housing stock in neighborhoods and what planning approaches they are using. Since their independence in the nineties of the last century housing associations have developed to social enterprises that are committed to a broad field of activity. This change allows for increased complexity of decision-making on the housing stock of the housing associations. The asset management of housing associations has changed from a policy that focuses on the physical pillar (homes), on the primary target group and on its own portfolio , to an area-based asset management that is characterized by cooperation with other parties, by the broadening to social and economic activities and by a (policy) distinction between different areas. The traditional asset management models are often not adapted to this development. These models do not take sufficient account of area characteristics, by which the proposed measures do not necessarily fit the area-specific problems . In addition, the policy is difficult to implement, because the top-down approach of the models neglects the reality in which multiple, interdependent actors are needed to have a successfull housing stock policy. That is why in this thesis it is examined which planning approaches housing associations use in the formulation of area-based asset management in restructuring districts (Vogelaarwijken). First a theoretical framework was formulated, based on a literature review. This framework was then tested in a pilot case (Woonplus Schiedam). The literature review and the pilot case resulted in five suppositions, which were tested in a survey and in two case studies (Com•wonen and de Alliantie). Theoretical framework Area-based asset management is defined in this thesis as the set of interrelated intentions of housing associations for activities regarding the housing stock within an area, which is partly based on the physical, social and economic characteristics of the area where the stock is located, which has been prepared in cooperation with stakeholders (or at least is taking into account stakeholders) and which is in connection with other activities, with the aim to increase the quality of the area. In this research area-based asset management is considered a form of planning. Planning is a process that is about the future improvement of the living conditions in areas. It is a goal-oriented process in which actors undertake planning activities based on knowledge. The area-based asset management can be achieved by using different planning approaches. The literature review resulted in five planning approaches to describe the process of area-based asset management: rational planning, incremental planning, political planning, collaborative planning and social movement planning. These approaches differ on the following elements: actors, use of knowledge, activities and objective. With these elements, the area-based asset management process of housing associations can be described. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, which can contribute to the area-based asset management process positively and negatively. This contribution can be compared using the following criteria: feasibility, action potential, substantive theory, public interest, human dimension and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). Feasibility relates to the feasibility of the process. The process should lead to policy implications and should be able to adapt to different situations. Action potential means that the process includes conditions that contribute to the implementation of the policy. Substantive theory means that the planning process should be consistent with the substantive issues and should make use of substantive theories and knowledge. In the public interest criterion the question is whether a planning approach has explicit methods to deal with different interests and to recognize conflicting interests and societal problems. Human dimension is about the attention for subjective considerations and implications of planning, for example for personal, psychological, ideological, political and cultural considerations and consequences. Finally, selfreflective concerns the room a process provides for reflection and criticism. In this thesis the housing association is understood as a social enterprise. Social enterprises are organizations that are designed as private entities and operate in a market situation, that simultaneously use their resources to pursue a societal goal that is intertwined with (or is partially parallel to) the public interest, that produces goods and services and which financial surplus or profit is not distributed, but is fully utilized to achieve the social goal that they pursue (Toonen et al., 2003; Wetenschappelijk Instituut voor het CDA, 2005). Social enterprises have a hybrid position between state, market and society. However, the following shared normative characteristics can be identified that typify the behavior of the social enterprise (Dees, 2001:4): Social enterprises: have a mission to create and sustain social value; recognize and pursue new opportunities to contribute to the mission; are in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation and learning, act boldly without being hindered by the current own resources; show a great responsibility for the outcomes of their activities to the groups they serve. Suppositions The fact that there is no planning approach that makes a positive contribution to the process on all the criteria and that planning approaches differ in the contribution they make to the area-based asset management process, leads to the following supposition: 1. Area-based asset management of housing associations is the result of a mixture of planning approaches and elements. By applying a mixture of planning approaches, it is possible to make a positive contribution on multiple criteria. Supposition 1 was confirmed in the pilot case. The case showed that the five planning approaches studied in this thesis were used within the restructuring district Nieuwland over the years. Also the survey, aiming to get an overview of the way housing associations in restructuring districts get to their (proposed) housing stock activities, confirmed this. The two case studies supported this supposition. All elements of the planning approaches were distinguished in the asset management process in the districts Indische Buurt and Oude Noorden. In the various stages of the process different planning approaches and elements were dominant. For example, a weak property of the rational approach, dealing with multiple interests (see section 2.2), was compensated by involving multiple stakeholders (collaborative element) in drafting both the asset management plan of Indische Buurt as the development vision of Oude Noorden. Based on the characteristics of the social enterprise, of urban renewal and restructuring and of community development, the following supposition is formulated: 2. Area-based asset management of housing associations is mainly the result of a rational and collaborative planning approach. The survey revealed that elements of the rational and collaborative approach often occur. The least often activities resulted from social movement and political elements. This confirmed supposition 2. In the two cases studied also the rational and collaborative elements often emerged. In the period of preparing the asset management plan the focus of de Alliantie was on rational elements. In the periods in which de Alliantie negotiated on covenants the emphasis was on collaborative planning, but also the political approach was relevant. In the phase of implementation of the asset management plan all approaches except the political played a part. In the Com•wonen case the emphasis was, in the period of preparation of the plan, on political, collaborative and rational elements. In the implementation phase, the focus was on incremental elements, and in the preparation of the asset management plan on rational elements. During the period that a joint structure was established, externally there were collaborative and incremental elements involved. There were also political elements recognizable. Internally, it was mainly a matter of collaborative elements. The pilot resulted in the following supposition: 3. The planning approaches respond to each other. The planning approach that is followed is influenced by the preceding planning approach. In the cases this assumption was confirmed. In both cases, social movement planning was followed by collaborative planning. At Com•wonen a squat led to consultation and at de Alliantie protest led to the introduction of residents platforms. Also in both cases incremental planning followed rational planning. At de Alliantie the rationally drawn asset management plan was reassessed and updated incrementally at the project level. At Com•wonen the asset management plan that was formulated in 2006 was reassessed twice in incremental label sessions. Another supposition that stemmed from the pilot was the following: 4. The emphasis of approaches shifts in the course of time. This supposition was also confirmed in the cases. In the cases different phases can be distinguished in which different planning approaches predominate. The phase in which an area plan was drawn up can be distinguished from the phase in which the focus was on the implementation of this plan and the phase in which other parties were involved into the planning process. The phase in which the process is located , also seems to affect the planning approach that is used. The predominantly rational plan is followed by a political process of negotiation after which the process develops, through incremental planning, in a collaborative direction. Social movement planning is rare, but when it occurs it is reason to change the process. At de Alliantie the rational preparation of the asset management plan was followed by political negotiations that led to the first covenant. Then implementation took place in an incremental and collaborative process. The plans were modified in consultation with residents. At Com•wonen the development vision (and the resulting area agreement) was a result of both a rational and political process. Then there was an incremental phase of implementation that led to a collaborative structure. The final assumption that stemmed from the pilot case, is: 5. Developments in the context of housing affect the planning approach that uses the housing. This assumption was confirmed in the two cases studied. It was clear that housing associations could not choose a planning approach just like that. The choice of a planning approach is influenced by contextual factors outside the housing association. These can be institutional factors, such as the presence, characteristics and attitudes of the actors. In the Indische Buurt for example, the residents were not organized in the early stages of the process. In the Ouden Noorden fellow associations did not participate in a joint plan by which there could be no collaborative planning. In addition, the complexity, nature and scale of the task differs. For example, at de Alliantie, the interventions were focused on the “preservation and restoration” of 1700 homes. At Com•wonen the emphasis was on creating a nice shopping street. Also the housing market is different in both contexts. In Amsterdam, the housing market is significantly tighter than in Rotterdam. Specific events may also have an impact on the planning approach. Protests from residents resulted in the Indische Buurt in adjustment of the process. In the Oude Noorden the poor economic situation of the businessmen in the shopping street was the reason for housing associations PWS and Com•wonen to join forces and launch a collaborative process. Housing associations themselves also have an influence on the planning process, for example by taking the initiative, assuming a certain position, forming a vision, mobilizing resources and through the organization of their association. For example, de Alliantie took the initiative to independently set up a worked out plan. She also has adopted an open/flexible attitude by not handling the plan as a blueprint, but as a direction. Com•wonen displaced for example the community development section to the Real Estate department, which made the planning process more consistent. Developing an asset management plan in 2006 was a step towards rational planning. With the abandoning of this plan the process became more incremental. In the figure above, above factors that have influence on the planning approach are shown schematically. Strengths and weaknesses in practice The strengths and weaknesses of the planning approach in this thesis are tested on the following criteria: public interest, human dimension, feasibility, action potential, substantive theory and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). For each criterion is examined in the case studies which (positive or negative) impact a particular planning approach has on the process and whether it matches the expectation based on the theory. Public interest The expectation was that collaborative planning would positivily contribute to the public interest criterion. This seems to be confirmed in the cases. At Com•wonen the internal planning team monitored the public interest because in the team any “interest” was represented. Externally the process manager took care of the connection of interests and safeguarding the public interest. The positive contribution that was expected by political planning is confirmed. At de Alliantie it was shown how political planning can contribute to the public interest. In the negotiations for the first covenant de Alliantie contributed to the public interest (for example, the behind-the-door approach) as to bring negotiations further. Human dimension The expectation was that collaborative planning is a positive contribution to the criterion of human dimension. The findings of the case studies support this. For example, participation in the context of the development vision at Com•wonen and the residents platforms and home visits at the de Alliantie case. The expected positive contribution of social movement planning is also reflected in the cases. Social movement planning in the form of squatting a property of Com•wonen and in the form of residents protest at de Alliantie following the first experimental projects. Feasibility Based on the theory, a low feasibility of the collaborative approach was expected because of the multitude of parties. This is consistent with what was found in the case studies. However, at the Com•wonen case there were collaborative elements that had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. The use of a shared vision and the commitment of an independent process manager who was responsible for the process contributed to the feasibility of the process. The expectation in the rational approach was not univocal. On the one hand, the rational approach uses a simple linear model, on the other hand the claim to be comprehensive makes the approach complex. The cases showed that that the independent top-down approach of de Alliantie and the use of process manual by Com•wonen had a positive impact on feasibility. Both factors are elaborations of the simple linear model. The expectation was that the incremental approach had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. At Com•wonen this positive influence was apparent that plans were elaborations of existing plans. Also the lack of strong overarching frameworks with clear goals, characteristic of the incremental approach, contributed to the performance on the criterion of feasibility, because there was plenty of room for the area-based completion of the plan. Action potential The expectation was that collaborative planning would contribute negatively to the criterion action potential. However, in the Com•wonen case collaborative elements also contributed to the action potential of the plans. Subsidies created external pressure to proceed to implementation and intensive cooperation prevented stagnation when there was friction. Incremental planning was expected to contribute to the action potential of the policy. A realistic final image (target), associated with the incremental approach, contributed to the action potential in the Com•wonen case. Substantive theory On the substantive theory criterion a negative contribution was expected from the rational, incremental and political approach. The expected contribution of the collaborative and the social movement planning approach was not clear. In the cases no relation was found between the approach practised and the substantive theory criterion. Self-reflective The expectation was that the rational approach would contribute negatively on the criterion of self-reflective. However, at de Alliantie the experiments with the labeling (rational planning) contributed to the reflectivity of the process. The expectation was that the incremental approach would not be reflective. Yet, the Com•wonen case showed that the reassessment of the area agreements from 2004 resulted in the reflective capacity of the process of Com•wonen. This reassessment fits the incremental approach. Recommendations Based on this study, the following recommendations can be made for housing associations: Housing associations must be proficient in several approaches. Tune the approach to the local context and organization. Tune the approach to the phase where the process is in. Pay more attention to the substantive aspects of planning (substantive theory). Provide for sufficient flexibility within the frameworks of the overall portfolio policy. With the results of this study housing associations can gain a better understanding of their asset management process and they can adjust the process so that they can make better-informed decisions regarding their housing stock. This allows them to execute their societal tasks more effectively and efficiently.

This thesis focuses on area-based asset management of housing associations. In this thesis you can find out how housing associations establish coherent intentions regarding the housing stock in neighborhoods and what planning approaches they are using. Since their independence in the nineties of the last century housing associations have developed to social enterprises that are committed to a broad field of activity. This change allows for increased complexity of decision-making on the housing stock of the housing associations. The asset management of housing associations has changed from a policy that focuses on the physical pillar (homes), on the primary target group and on its own portfolio , to an area-based asset management that is characterized by cooperation with other parties, by the broadening to social and economic activities and by a (policy) distinction between different areas. The traditional asset management models are often not adapted to this development. These models do not take sufficient account of area characteristics, by which the proposed measures do not necessarily fit the area-specific problems . In addition, the policy is difficult to implement, because the top-down approach of the models neglects the reality in which multiple, interdependent actors are needed to have a successfull housing stock policy. That is why in this thesis it is examined which planning approaches housing associations use in the formulation of area-based asset management in restructuring districts (Vogelaarwijken). First a theoretical framework was formulated, based on a literature review. This framework was then tested in a pilot case (Woonplus Schiedam). The literature review and the pilot case resulted in five suppositions, which were tested in a survey and in two case studies (Com•wonen and de Alliantie). Theoretical framework Area-based asset management is defined in this thesis as the set of interrelated intentions of housing associations for activities regarding the housing stock within an area, which is partly based on the physical, social and economic characteristics of the area where the stock is located, which has been prepared in cooperation with stakeholders (or at least is taking into account stakeholders) and which is in connection with other activities, with the aim to increase the quality of the area. In this research area-based asset management is considered a form of planning. Planning is a process that is about the future improvement of the living conditions in areas. It is a goal-oriented process in which actors undertake planning activities based on knowledge. The area-based asset management can be achieved by using different planning approaches. The literature review resulted in five planning approaches to describe the process of area-based asset management: rational planning, incremental planning, political planning, collaborative planning and social movement planning. These approaches differ on the following elements: actors, use of knowledge, activities and objective. With these elements, the area-based asset management process of housing associations can be described. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, which can contribute to the area-based asset management process positively and negatively. This contribution can be compared using the following criteria: feasibility, action potential, substantive theory, public interest, human dimension and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). Feasibility relates to the feasibility of the process. The process should lead to policy implications and should be able to adapt to different situations. Action potential means that the process includes conditions that contribute to the implementation of the policy. Substantive theory means that the planning process should be consistent with the substantive issues and should make use of substantive theories and knowledge. In the public interest criterion the question is whether a planning approach has explicit methods to deal with different interests and to recognize conflicting interests and societal problems. Human dimension is about the attention for subjective considerations and implications of planning, for example for personal, psychological, ideological, political and cultural considerations and consequences. Finally, selfreflective concerns the room a process provides for reflection and criticism. In this thesis the housing association is understood as a social enterprise. Social enterprises are organizations that are designed as private entities and operate in a market situation, that simultaneously use their resources to pursue a societal goal that is intertwined with (or is partially parallel to) the public interest, that produces goods and services and which financial surplus or profit is not distributed, but is fully utilized to achieve the social goal that they pursue (Toonen et al., 2003; Wetenschappelijk Instituut voor het CDA, 2005). Social enterprises have a hybrid position between state, market and society. However, the following shared normative characteristics can be identified that typify the behavior of the social enterprise (Dees, 2001:4): Social enterprises: have a mission to create and sustain social value; recognize and pursue new opportunities to contribute to the mission; are in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation and learning, act boldly without being hindered by the current own resources; show a great responsibility for the outcomes of their activities to the groups they serve. Suppositions The fact that there is no planning approach that makes a positive contribution to the process on all the criteria and that planning approaches differ in the contribution they make to the area-based asset management process, leads to the following supposition: 1. Area-based asset management of housing associations is the result of a mixture of planning approaches and elements. By applying a mixture of planning approaches, it is possible to make a positive contribution on multiple criteria. Supposition 1 was confirmed in the pilot case. The case showed that the five planning approaches studied in this thesis were used within the restructuring district Nieuwland over the years. Also the survey, aiming to get an overview of the way housing associations in restructuring districts get to their (proposed) housing stock activities, confirmed this. The two case studies supported this supposition. All elements of the planning approaches were distinguished in the asset management process in the districts Indische Buurt and Oude Noorden. In the various stages of the process different planning approaches and elements were dominant. For example, a weak property of the rational approach, dealing with multiple interests (see section 2.2), was compensated by involving multiple stakeholders (collaborative element) in drafting both the asset management plan of Indische Buurt as the development vision of Oude Noorden. Based on the characteristics of the social enterprise, of urban renewal and restructuring and of community development, the following supposition is formulated: 2. Area-based asset management of housing associations is mainly the result of a rational and collaborative planning approach. The survey revealed that elements of the rational and collaborative approach often occur. The least often activities resulted from social movement and political elements. This confirmed supposition 2. In the two cases studied also the rational and collaborative elements often emerged. In the period of preparing the asset management plan the focus of de Alliantie was on rational elements. In the periods in which de Alliantie negotiated on covenants the emphasis was on collaborative planning, but also the political approach was relevant. In the phase of implementation of the asset management plan all approaches except the political played a part. In the Com•wonen case the emphasis was, in the period of preparation of the plan, on political, collaborative and rational elements. In the implementation phase, the focus was on incremental elements, and in the preparation of the asset management plan on rational elements. During the period that a joint structure was established, externally there were collaborative and incremental elements involved. There were also political elements recognizable. Internally, it was mainly a matter of collaborative elements. The pilot resulted in the following supposition: 3. The planning approaches respond to each other. The planning approach that is followed is influenced by the preceding planning approach. In the cases this assumption was confirmed. In both cases, social movement planning was followed by collaborative planning. At Com•wonen a squat led to consultation and at de Alliantie protest led to the introduction of residents platforms. Also in both cases incremental planning followed rational planning. At de Alliantie the rationally drawn asset management plan was reassessed and updated incrementally at the project level. At Com•wonen the asset management plan that was formulated in 2006 was reassessed twice in incremental label sessions. Another supposition that stemmed from the pilot was the following: 4. The emphasis of approaches shifts in the course of time. This supposition was also confirmed in the cases. In the cases different phases can be distinguished in which different planning approaches predominate. The phase in which an area plan was drawn up can be distinguished from the phase in which the focus was on the implementation of this plan and the phase in which other parties were involved into the planning process. The phase in which the process is located , also seems to affect the planning approach that is used. The predominantly rational plan is followed by a political process of negotiation after which the process develops, through incremental planning, in a collaborative direction. Social movement planning is rare, but when it occurs it is reason to change the process. At de Alliantie the rational preparation of the asset management plan was followed by political negotiations that led to the first covenant. Then implementation took place in an incremental and collaborative process. The plans were modified in consultation with residents. At Com•wonen the development vision (and the resulting area agreement) was a result of both a rational and political process. Then there was an incremental phase of implementation that led to a collaborative structure. The final assumption that stemmed from the pilot case, is: 5. Developments in the context of housing affect the planning approach that uses the housing. This assumption was confirmed in the two cases studied. It was clear that housing associations could not choose a planning approach just like that. The choice of a planning approach is influenced by contextual factors outside the housing association. These can be institutional factors, such as the presence, characteristics and attitudes of the actors. In the Indische Buurt for example, the residents were not organized in the early stages of the process. In the Ouden Noorden fellow associations did not participate in a joint plan by which there could be no collaborative planning. In addition, the complexity, nature and scale of the task differs. For example, at de Alliantie, the interventions were focused on the “preservation and restoration” of 1700 homes. At Com•wonen the emphasis was on creating a nice shopping street. Also the housing market is different in both contexts. In Amsterdam, the housing market is significantly tighter than in Rotterdam. Specific events may also have an impact on the planning approach. Protests from residents resulted in the Indische Buurt in adjustment of the process. In the Oude Noorden the poor economic situation of the businessmen in the shopping street was the reason for housing associations PWS and Com•wonen to join forces and launch a collaborative process. Housing associations themselves also have an influence on the planning process, for example by taking the initiative, assuming a certain position, forming a vision, mobilizing resources and through the organization of their association. For example, de Alliantie took the initiative to independently set up a worked out plan. She also has adopted an open/flexible attitude by not handling the plan as a blueprint, but as a direction. Com•wonen displaced for example the community development section to the Real Estate department, which made the planning process more consistent. Developing an asset management plan in 2006 was a step towards rational planning. With the abandoning of this plan the process became more incremental. In the figure above, above factors that have influence on the planning approach are shown schematically. Strengths and weaknesses in practice The strengths and weaknesses of the planning approach in this thesis are tested on the following criteria: public interest, human dimension, feasibility, action potential, substantive theory and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). For each criterion is examined in the case studies which (positive or negative) impact a particular planning approach has on the process and whether it matches the expectation based on the theory. Public interest The expectation was that collaborative planning would positivily contribute to the public interest criterion. This seems to be confirmed in the cases. At Com•wonen the internal planning team monitored the public interest because in the team any “interest” was represented. Externally the process manager took care of the connection of interests and safeguarding the public interest. The positive contribution that was expected by political planning is confirmed. At de Alliantie it was shown how political planning can contribute to the public interest. In the negotiations for the first covenant de Alliantie contributed to the public interest (for example, the behind-the-door approach) as to bring negotiations further. Human dimension The expectation was that collaborative planning is a positive contribution to the criterion of human dimension. The findings of the case studies support this. For example, participation in the context of the development vision at Com•wonen and the residents platforms and home visits at the de Alliantie case. The expected positive contribution of social movement planning is also reflected in the cases. Social movement planning in the form of squatting a property of Com•wonen and in the form of residents protest at de Alliantie following the first experimental projects. Feasibility Based on the theory, a low feasibility of the collaborative approach was expected because of the multitude of parties. This is consistent with what was found in the case studies. However, at the Com•wonen case there were collaborative elements that had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. The use of a shared vision and the commitment of an independent process manager who was responsible for the process contributed to the feasibility of the process. The expectation in the rational approach was not univocal. On the one hand, the rational approach uses a simple linear model, on the other hand the claim to be comprehensive makes the approach complex. The cases showed that that the independent top-down approach of de Alliantie and the use of process manual by Com•wonen had a positive impact on feasibility. Both factors are elaborations of the simple linear model. The expectation was that the incremental approach had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. At Com•wonen this positive influence was apparent that plans were elaborations of existing plans. Also the lack of strong overarching frameworks with clear goals, characteristic of the incremental approach, contributed to the performance on the criterion of feasibility, because there was plenty of room for the area-based completion of the plan. Action potential The expectation was that collaborative planning would contribute negatively to the criterion action potential. However, in the Com•wonen case collaborative elements also contributed to the action potential of the plans. Subsidies created external pressure to proceed to implementation and intensive cooperation prevented stagnation when there was friction. Incremental planning was expected to contribute to the action potential of the policy. A realistic final image (target), associated with the incremental approach, contributed to the action potential in the Com•wonen case. Substantive theory On the substantive theory criterion a negative contribution was expected from the rational, incremental and political approach. The expected contribution of the collaborative and the social movement planning approach was not clear. In the cases no relation was found between the approach practised and the substantive theory criterion. Self-reflective The expectation was that the rational approach would contribute negatively on the criterion of self-reflective. However, at de Alliantie the experiments with the labeling (rational planning) contributed to the reflectivity of the process. The expectation was that the incremental approach would not be reflective. Yet, the Com•wonen case showed that the reassessment of the area agreements from 2004 resulted in the reflective capacity of the process of Com•wonen. This reassessment fits the incremental approach. Recommendations Based on this study, the following recommendations can be made for housing associations: Housing associations must be proficient in several approaches. Tune the approach to the local context and organization. Tune the approach to the phase where the process is in. Pay more attention to the substantive aspects of planning (substantive theory). Provide for sufficient flexibility within the frameworks of the overall portfolio policy. With the results of this study housing associations can gain a better understanding of their asset management process and they can adjust the process so that they can make better-informed decisions regarding their housing stock. This allows them to execute their societal tasks more effectively and efficiently.

This thesis focuses on area-based asset management of housing associations. In this thesis you can find out how housing associations establish coherent intentions regarding the housing stock in neighborhoods and what planning approaches they are using. Since their independence in the nineties of the last century housing associations have developed to social enterprises that are committed to a broad field of activity. This change allows for increased complexity of decision-making on the housing stock of the housing associations. The asset management of housing associations has changed from a policy that focuses on the physical pillar (homes), on the primary target group and on its own portfolio , to an area-based asset management that is characterized by cooperation with other parties, by the broadening to social and economic activities and by a (policy) distinction between different areas. The traditional asset management models are often not adapted to this development. These models do not take sufficient account of area characteristics, by which the proposed measures do not necessarily fit the area-specific problems . In addition, the policy is difficult to implement, because the top-down approach of the models neglects the reality in which multiple, interdependent actors are needed to have a successfull housing stock policy. That is why in this thesis it is examined which planning approaches housing associations use in the formulation of area-based asset management in restructuring districts (Vogelaarwijken). First a theoretical framework was formulated, based on a literature review. This framework was then tested in a pilot case (Woonplus Schiedam). The literature review and the pilot case resulted in five suppositions, which were tested in a survey and in two case studies (Com•wonen and de Alliantie). Theoretical framework Area-based asset management is defined in this thesis as the set of interrelated intentions of housing associations for activities regarding the housing stock within an area, which is partly based on the physical, social and economic characteristics of the area where the stock is located, which has been prepared in cooperation with stakeholders (or at least is taking into account stakeholders) and which is in connection with other activities, with the aim to increase the quality of the area. In this research area-based asset management is considered a form of planning. Planning is a process that is about the future improvement of the living conditions in areas. It is a goal-oriented process in which actors undertake planning activities based on knowledge. The area-based asset management can be achieved by using different planning approaches. The literature review resulted in five planning approaches to describe the process of area-based asset management: rational planning, incremental planning, political planning, collaborative planning and social movement planning. These approaches differ on the following elements: actors, use of knowledge, activities and objective. With these elements, the area-based asset management process of housing associations can be described. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, which can contribute to the area-based asset management process positively and negatively. This contribution can be compared using the following criteria: feasibility, action potential, substantive theory, public interest, human dimension and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). Feasibility relates to the feasibility of the process. The process should lead to policy implications and should be able to adapt to different situations. Action potential means that the process includes conditions that contribute to the implementation of the policy. Substantive theory means that the planning process should be consistent with the substantive issues and should make use of substantive theories and knowledge. In the public interest criterion the question is whether a planning approach has explicit methods to deal with different interests and to recognize conflicting interests and societal problems. Human dimension is about the attention for subjective considerations and implications of planning, for example for personal, psychological, ideological, political and cultural considerations and consequences. Finally, selfreflective concerns the room a process provides for reflection and criticism. In this thesis the housing association is understood as a social enterprise. Social enterprises are organizations that are designed as private entities and operate in a market situation, that simultaneously use their resources to pursue a societal goal that is intertwined with (or is partially parallel to) the public interest, that produces goods and services and which financial surplus or profit is not distributed, but is fully utilized to achieve the social goal that they pursue (Toonen et al., 2003; Wetenschappelijk Instituut voor het CDA, 2005). Social enterprises have a hybrid position between state, market and society. However, the following shared normative characteristics can be identified that typify the behavior of the social enterprise (Dees, 2001:4): Social enterprises: have a mission to create and sustain social value; recognize and pursue new opportunities to contribute to the mission; are in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation and learning, act boldly without being hindered by the current own resources; show a great responsibility for the outcomes of their activities to the groups they serve. Suppositions The fact that there is no planning approach that makes a positive contribution to the process on all the criteria and that planning approaches differ in the contribution they make to the area-based asset management process, leads to the following supposition: 1. Area-based asset management of housing associations is the result of a mixture of planning approaches and elements. By applying a mixture of planning approaches, it is possible to make a positive contribution on multiple criteria. Supposition 1 was confirmed in the pilot case. The case showed that the five planning approaches studied in this thesis were used within the restructuring district Nieuwland over the years. Also the survey, aiming to get an overview of the way housing associations in restructuring districts get to their (proposed) housing stock activities, confirmed this. The two case studies supported this supposition. All elements of the planning approaches were distinguished in the asset management process in the districts Indische Buurt and Oude Noorden. In the various stages of the process different planning approaches and elements were dominant. For example, a weak property of the rational approach, dealing with multiple interests (see section 2.2), was compensated by involving multiple stakeholders (collaborative element) in drafting both the asset management plan of Indische Buurt as the development vision of Oude Noorden. Based on the characteristics of the social enterprise, of urban renewal and restructuring and of community development, the following supposition is formulated: 2. Area-based asset management of housing associations is mainly the result of a rational and collaborative planning approach. The survey revealed that elements of the rational and collaborative approach often occur. The least often activities resulted from social movement and political elements. This confirmed supposition 2. In the two cases studied also the rational and collaborative elements often emerged. In the period of preparing the asset management plan the focus of de Alliantie was on rational elements. In the periods in which de Alliantie negotiated on covenants the emphasis was on collaborative planning, but also the political approach was relevant. In the phase of implementation of the asset management plan all approaches except the political played a part. In the Com•wonen case the emphasis was, in the period of preparation of the plan, on political, collaborative and rational elements. In the implementation phase, the focus was on incremental elements, and in the preparation of the asset management plan on rational elements. During the period that a joint structure was established, externally there were collaborative and incremental elements involved. There were also political elements recognizable. Internally, it was mainly a matter of collaborative elements. The pilot resulted in the following supposition: 3. The planning approaches respond to each other. The planning approach that is followed is influenced by the preceding planning approach. In the cases this assumption was confirmed. In both cases, social movement planning was followed by collaborative planning. At Com•wonen a squat led to consultation and at de Alliantie protest led to the introduction of residents platforms. Also in both cases incremental planning followed rational planning. At de Alliantie the rationally drawn asset management plan was reassessed and updated incrementally at the project level. At Com•wonen the asset management plan that was formulated in 2006 was reassessed twice in incremental label sessions. Another supposition that stemmed from the pilot was the following: 4. The emphasis of approaches shifts in the course of time. This supposition was also confirmed in the cases. In the cases different phases can be distinguished in which different planning approaches predominate. The phase in which an area plan was drawn up can be distinguished from the phase in which the focus was on the implementation of this plan and the phase in which other parties were involved into the planning process. The phase in which the process is located , also seems to affect the planning approach that is used. The predominantly rational plan is followed by a political process of negotiation after which the process develops, through incremental planning, in a collaborative direction. Social movement planning is rare, but when it occurs it is reason to change the process. At de Alliantie the rational preparation of the asset management plan was followed by political negotiations that led to the first covenant. Then implementation took place in an incremental and collaborative process. The plans were modified in consultation with residents. At Com•wonen the development vision (and the resulting area agreement) was a result of both a rational and political process. Then there was an incremental phase of implementation that led to a collaborative structure. The final assumption that stemmed from the pilot case, is: 5. Developments in the context of housing affect the planning approach that uses the housing. This assumption was confirmed in the two cases studied. It was clear that housing associations could not choose a planning approach just like that. The choice of a planning approach is influenced by contextual factors outside the housing association. These can be institutional factors, such as the presence, characteristics and attitudes of the actors. In the Indische Buurt for example, the residents were not organized in the early stages of the process. In the Ouden Noorden fellow associations did not participate in a joint plan by which there could be no collaborative planning. In addition, the complexity, nature and scale of the task differs. For example, at de Alliantie, the interventions were focused on the “preservation and restoration” of 1700 homes. At Com•wonen the emphasis was on creating a nice shopping street. Also the housing market is different in both contexts. In Amsterdam, the housing market is significantly tighter than in Rotterdam. Specific events may also have an impact on the planning approach. Protests from residents resulted in the Indische Buurt in adjustment of the process. In the Oude Noorden the poor economic situation of the businessmen in the shopping street was the reason for housing associations PWS and Com•wonen to join forces and launch a collaborative process. Housing associations themselves also have an influence on the planning process, for example by taking the initiative, assuming a certain position, forming a vision, mobilizing resources and through the organization of their association. For example, de Alliantie took the initiative to independently set up a worked out plan. She also has adopted an open/flexible attitude by not handling the plan as a blueprint, but as a direction. Com•wonen displaced for example the community development section to the Real Estate department, which made the planning process more consistent. Developing an asset management plan in 2006 was a step towards rational planning. With the abandoning of this plan the process became more incremental. In the figure above, above factors that have influence on the planning approach are shown schematically. Strengths and weaknesses in practice The strengths and weaknesses of the planning approach in this thesis are tested on the following criteria: public interest, human dimension, feasibility, action potential, substantive theory and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). For each criterion is examined in the case studies which (positive or negative) impact a particular planning approach has on the process and whether it matches the expectation based on the theory. Public interest The expectation was that collaborative planning would positivily contribute to the public interest criterion. This seems to be confirmed in the cases. At Com•wonen the internal planning team monitored the public interest because in the team any “interest” was represented. Externally the process manager took care of the connection of interests and safeguarding the public interest. The positive contribution that was expected by political planning is confirmed. At de Alliantie it was shown how political planning can contribute to the public interest. In the negotiations for the first covenant de Alliantie contributed to the public interest (for example, the behind-the-door approach) as to bring negotiations further. Human dimension The expectation was that collaborative planning is a positive contribution to the criterion of human dimension. The findings of the case studies support this. For example, participation in the context of the development vision at Com•wonen and the residents platforms and home visits at the de Alliantie case. The expected positive contribution of social movement planning is also reflected in the cases. Social movement planning in the form of squatting a property of Com•wonen and in the form of residents protest at de Alliantie following the first experimental projects. Feasibility Based on the theory, a low feasibility of the collaborative approach was expected because of the multitude of parties. This is consistent with what was found in the case studies. However, at the Com•wonen case there were collaborative elements that had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. The use of a shared vision and the commitment of an independent process manager who was responsible for the process contributed to the feasibility of the process. The expectation in the rational approach was not univocal. On the one hand, the rational approach uses a simple linear model, on the other hand the claim to be comprehensive makes the approach complex. The cases showed that that the independent top-down approach of de Alliantie and the use of process manual by Com•wonen had a positive impact on feasibility. Both factors are elaborations of the simple linear model. The expectation was that the incremental approach had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. At Com•wonen this positive influence was apparent that plans were elaborations of existing plans. Also the lack of strong overarching frameworks with clear goals, characteristic of the incremental approach, contributed to the performance on the criterion of feasibility, because there was plenty of room for the area-based completion of the plan. Action potential The expectation was that collaborative planning would contribute negatively to the criterion action potential. However, in the Com•wonen case collaborative elements also contributed to the action potential of the plans. Subsidies created external pressure to proceed to implementation and intensive cooperation prevented stagnation when there was friction. Incremental planning was expected to contribute to the action potential of the policy. A realistic final image (target), associated with the incremental approach, contributed to the action potential in the Com•wonen case. Substantive theory On the substantive theory criterion a negative contribution was expected from the rational, incremental and political approach. The expected contribution of the collaborative and the social movement planning approach was not clear. In the cases no relation was found between the approach practised and the substantive theory criterion. Self-reflective The expectation was that the rational approach would contribute negatively on the criterion of self-reflective. However, at de Alliantie the experiments with the labeling (rational planning) contributed to the reflectivity of the process. The expectation was that the incremental approach would not be reflective. Yet, the Com•wonen case showed that the reassessment of the area agreements from 2004 resulted in the reflective capacity of the process of Com•wonen. This reassessment fits the incremental approach. Recommendations Based on this study, the following recommendations can be made for housing associations: Housing associations must be proficient in several approaches. Tune the approach to the local context and organization. Tune the approach to the phase where the process is in. Pay more attention to the substantive aspects of planning (substantive theory). Provide for sufficient flexibility within the frameworks of the overall portfolio policy. With the results of this study housing associations can gain a better understanding of their asset management process and they can adjust the process so that they can make better-informed decisions regarding their housing stock. This allows them to execute their societal tasks more effectively and efficiently.

This thesis focuses on area-based asset management of housing associations. In this thesis you can find out how housing associations establish coherent intentions regarding the housing stock in neighborhoods and what planning approaches they are using. Since their independence in the nineties of the last century housing associations have developed to social enterprises that are committed to a broad field of activity. This change allows for increased complexity of decision-making on the housing stock of the housing associations. The asset management of housing associations has changed from a policy that focuses on the physical pillar (homes), on the primary target group and on its own portfolio , to an area-based asset management that is characterized by cooperation with other parties, by the broadening to social and economic activities and by a (policy) distinction between different areas. The traditional asset management models are often not adapted to this development. These models do not take sufficient account of area characteristics, by which the proposed measures do not necessarily fit the area-specific problems . In addition, the policy is difficult to implement, because the top-down approach of the models neglects the reality in which multiple, interdependent actors are needed to have a successfull housing stock policy. That is why in this thesis it is examined which planning approaches housing associations use in the formulation of area-based asset management in restructuring districts (Vogelaarwijken). First a theoretical framework was formulated, based on a literature review. This framework was then tested in a pilot case (Woonplus Schiedam). The literature review and the pilot case resulted in five suppositions, which were tested in a survey and in two case studies (Com•wonen and de Alliantie). Theoretical framework Area-based asset management is defined in this thesis as the set of interrelated intentions of housing associations for activities regarding the housing stock within an area, which is partly based on the physical, social and economic characteristics of the area where the stock is located, which has been prepared in cooperation with stakeholders (or at least is taking into account stakeholders) and which is in connection with other activities, with the aim to increase the quality of the area. In this research area-based asset management is considered a form of planning. Planning is a process that is about the future improvement of the living conditions in areas. It is a goal-oriented process in which actors undertake planning activities based on knowledge. The area-based asset management can be achieved by using different planning approaches. The literature review resulted in five planning approaches to describe the process of area-based asset management: rational planning, incremental planning, political planning, collaborative planning and social movement planning. These approaches differ on the following elements: actors, use of knowledge, activities and objective. With these elements, the area-based asset management process of housing associations can be described. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, which can contribute to the area-based asset management process positively and negatively. This contribution can be compared using the following criteria: feasibility, action potential, substantive theory, public interest, human dimension and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). Feasibility relates to the feasibility of the process. The process should lead to policy implications and should be able to adapt to different situations. Action potential means that the process includes conditions that contribute to the implementation of the policy. Substantive theory means that the planning process should be consistent with the substantive issues and should make use of substantive theories and knowledge. In the public interest criterion the question is whether a planning approach has explicit methods to deal with different interests and to recognize conflicting interests and societal problems. Human dimension is about the attention for subjective considerations and implications of planning, for example for personal, psychological, ideological, political and cultural considerations and consequences. Finally, selfreflective concerns the room a process provides for reflection and criticism. In this thesis the housing association is understood as a social enterprise. Social enterprises are organizations that are designed as private entities and operate in a market situation, that simultaneously use their resources to pursue a societal goal that is intertwined with (or is partially parallel to) the public interest, that produces goods and services and which financial surplus or profit is not distributed, but is fully utilized to achieve the social goal that they pursue (Toonen et al., 2003; Wetenschappelijk Instituut voor het CDA, 2005). Social enterprises have a hybrid position between state, market and society. However, the following shared normative characteristics can be identified that typify the behavior of the social enterprise (Dees, 2001:4): Social enterprises: have a mission to create and sustain social value; recognize and pursue new opportunities to contribute to the mission; are in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation and learning, act boldly without being hindered by the current own resources; show a great responsibility for the outcomes of their activities to the groups they serve. Suppositions The fact that there is no planning approach that makes a positive contribution to the process on all the criteria and that planning approaches differ in the contribution they make to the area-based asset management process, leads to the following supposition: 1. Area-based asset management of housing associations is the result of a mixture of planning approaches and elements. By applying a mixture of planning approaches, it is possible to make a positive contribution on multiple criteria. Supposition 1 was confirmed in the pilot case. The case showed that the five planning approaches studied in this thesis were used within the restructuring district Nieuwland over the years. Also the survey, aiming to get an overview of the way housing associations in restructuring districts get to their (proposed) housing stock activities, confirmed this. The two case studies supported this supposition. All elements of the planning approaches were distinguished in the asset management process in the districts Indische Buurt and Oude Noorden. In the various stages of the process different planning approaches and elements were dominant. For example, a weak property of the rational approach, dealing with multiple interests (see section 2.2), was compensated by involving multiple stakeholders (collaborative element) in drafting both the asset management plan of Indische Buurt as the development vision of Oude Noorden. Based on the characteristics of the social enterprise, of urban renewal and restructuring and of community development, the following supposition is formulated: 2. Area-based asset management of housing associations is mainly the result of a rational and collaborative planning approach. The survey revealed that elements of the rational and collaborative approach often occur. The least often activities resulted from social movement and political elements. This confirmed supposition 2. In the two cases studied also the rational and collaborative elements often emerged. In the period of preparing the asset management plan the focus of de Alliantie was on rational elements. In the periods in which de Alliantie negotiated on covenants the emphasis was on collaborative planning, but also the political approach was relevant. In the phase of implementation of the asset management plan all approaches except the political played a part. In the Com•wonen case the emphasis was, in the period of preparation of the plan, on political, collaborative and rational elements. In the implementation phase, the focus was on incremental elements, and in the preparation of the asset management plan on rational elements. During the period that a joint structure was established, externally there were collaborative and incremental elements involved. There were also political elements recognizable. Internally, it was mainly a matter of collaborative elements. The pilot resulted in the following supposition: 3. The planning approaches respond to each other. The planning approach that is followed is influenced by the preceding planning approach. In the cases this assumption was confirmed. In both cases, social movement planning was followed by collaborative planning. At Com•wonen a squat led to consultation and at de Alliantie protest led to the introduction of residents platforms. Also in both cases incremental planning followed rational planning. At de Alliantie the rationally drawn asset management plan was reassessed and updated incrementally at the project level. At Com•wonen the asset management plan that was formulated in 2006 was reassessed twice in incremental label sessions. Another supposition that stemmed from the pilot was the following: 4. The emphasis of approaches shifts in the course of time. This supposition was also confirmed in the cases. In the cases different phases can be distinguished in which different planning approaches predominate. The phase in which an area plan was drawn up can be distinguished from the phase in which the focus was on the implementation of this plan and the phase in which other parties were involved into the planning process. The phase in which the process is located , also seems to affect the planning approach that is used. The predominantly rational plan is followed by a political process of negotiation after which the process develops, through incremental planning, in a collaborative direction. Social movement planning is rare, but when it occurs it is reason to change the process. At de Alliantie the rational preparation of the asset management plan was followed by political negotiations that led to the first covenant. Then implementation took place in an incremental and collaborative process. The plans were modified in consultation with residents. At Com•wonen the development vision (and the resulting area agreement) was a result of both a rational and political process. Then there was an incremental phase of implementation that led to a collaborative structure. The final assumption that stemmed from the pilot case, is: 5. Developments in the context of housing affect the planning approach that uses the housing. This assumption was confirmed in the two cases studied. It was clear that housing associations could not choose a planning approach just like that. The choice of a planning approach is influenced by contextual factors outside the housing association. These can be institutional factors, such as the presence, characteristics and attitudes of the actors. In the Indische Buurt for example, the residents were not organized in the early stages of the process. In the Ouden Noorden fellow associations did not participate in a joint plan by which there could be no collaborative planning. In addition, the complexity, nature and scale of the task differs. For example, at de Alliantie, the interventions were focused on the “preservation and restoration” of 1700 homes. At Com•wonen the emphasis was on creating a nice shopping street. Also the housing market is different in both contexts. In Amsterdam, the housing market is significantly tighter than in Rotterdam. Specific events may also have an impact on the planning approach. Protests from residents resulted in the Indische Buurt in adjustment of the process. In the Oude Noorden the poor economic situation of the businessmen in the shopping street was the reason for housing associations PWS and Com•wonen to join forces and launch a collaborative process. Housing associations themselves also have an influence on the planning process, for example by taking the initiative, assuming a certain position, forming a vision, mobilizing resources and through the organization of their association. For example, de Alliantie took the initiative to independently set up a worked out plan. She also has adopted an open/flexible attitude by not handling the plan as a blueprint, but as a direction. Com•wonen displaced for example the community development section to the Real Estate department, which made the planning process more consistent. Developing an asset management plan in 2006 was a step towards rational planning. With the abandoning of this plan the process became more incremental. In the figure above, above factors that have influence on the planning approach are shown schematically. Strengths and weaknesses in practice The strengths and weaknesses of the planning approach in this thesis are tested on the following criteria: public interest, human dimension, feasibility, action potential, substantive theory and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). For each criterion is examined in the case studies which (positive or negative) impact a particular planning approach has on the process and whether it matches the expectation based on the theory. Public interest The expectation was that collaborative planning would positivily contribute to the public interest criterion. This seems to be confirmed in the cases. At Com•wonen the internal planning team monitored the public interest because in the team any “interest” was represented. Externally the process manager took care of the connection of interests and safeguarding the public interest. The positive contribution that was expected by political planning is confirmed. At de Alliantie it was shown how political planning can contribute to the public interest. In the negotiations for the first covenant de Alliantie contributed to the public interest (for example, the behind-the-door approach) as to bring negotiations further. Human dimension The expectation was that collaborative planning is a positive contribution to the criterion of human dimension. The findings of the case studies support this. For example, participation in the context of the development vision at Com•wonen and the residents platforms and home visits at the de Alliantie case. The expected positive contribution of social movement planning is also reflected in the cases. Social movement planning in the form of squatting a property of Com•wonen and in the form of residents protest at de Alliantie following the first experimental projects. Feasibility Based on the theory, a low feasibility of the collaborative approach was expected because of the multitude of parties. This is consistent with what was found in the case studies. However, at the Com•wonen case there were collaborative elements that had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. The use of a shared vision and the commitment of an independent process manager who was responsible for the process contributed to the feasibility of the process. The expectation in the rational approach was not univocal. On the one hand, the rational approach uses a simple linear model, on the other hand the claim to be comprehensive makes the approach complex. The cases showed that that the independent top-down approach of de Alliantie and the use of process manual by Com•wonen had a positive impact on feasibility. Both factors are elaborations of the simple linear model. The expectation was that the incremental approach had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. At Com•wonen this positive influence was apparent that plans were elaborations of existing plans. Also the lack of strong overarching frameworks with clear goals, characteristic of the incremental approach, contributed to the performance on the criterion of feasibility, because there was plenty of room for the area-based completion of the plan. Action potential The expectation was that collaborative planning would contribute negatively to the criterion action potential. However, in the Com•wonen case collaborative elements also contributed to the action potential of the plans. Subsidies created external pressure to proceed to implementation and intensive cooperation prevented stagnation when there was friction. Incremental planning was expected to contribute to the action potential of the policy. A realistic final image (target), associated with the incremental approach, contributed to the action potential in the Com•wonen case. Substantive theory On the substantive theory criterion a negative contribution was expected from the rational, incremental and political approach. The expected contribution of the collaborative and the social movement planning approach was not clear. In the cases no relation was found between the approach practised and the substantive theory criterion. Self-reflective The expectation was that the rational approach would contribute negatively on the criterion of self-reflective. However, at de Alliantie the experiments with the labeling (rational planning) contributed to the reflectivity of the process. The expectation was that the incremental approach would not be reflective. Yet, the Com•wonen case showed that the reassessment of the area agreements from 2004 resulted in the reflective capacity of the process of Com•wonen. This reassessment fits the incremental approach. Recommendations Based on this study, the following recommendations can be made for housing associations: Housing associations must be proficient in several approaches. Tune the approach to the local context and organization. Tune the approach to the phase where the process is in. Pay more attention to the substantive aspects of planning (substantive theory). Provide for sufficient flexibility within the frameworks of the overall portfolio policy. With the results of this study housing associations can gain a better understanding of their asset management process and they can adjust the process so that they can make better-informed decisions regarding their housing stock. This allows them to execute their societal tasks more effectively and efficiently.

This thesis focuses on area-based asset management of housing associations. In this thesis you can find out how housing associations establish coherent intentions regarding the housing stock in neighborhoods and what planning approaches they are using. Since their independence in the nineties of the last century housing associations have developed to social enterprises that are committed to a broad field of activity. This change allows for increased complexity of decision-making on the housing stock of the housing associations. The asset management of housing associations has changed from a policy that focuses on the physical pillar (homes), on the primary target group and on its own portfolio , to an area-based asset management that is characterized by cooperation with other parties, by the broadening to social and economic activities and by a (policy) distinction between different areas. The traditional asset management models are often not adapted to this development. These models do not take sufficient account of area characteristics, by which the proposed measures do not necessarily fit the area-specific problems . In addition, the policy is difficult to implement, because the top-down approach of the models neglects the reality in which multiple, interdependent actors are needed to have a successfull housing stock policy. That is why in this thesis it is examined which planning approaches housing associations use in the formulation of area-based asset management in restructuring districts (Vogelaarwijken). First a theoretical framework was formulated, based on a literature review. This framework was then tested in a pilot case (Woonplus Schiedam). The literature review and the pilot case resulted in five suppositions, which were tested in a survey and in two case studies (Com•wonen and de Alliantie). Theoretical framework Area-based asset management is defined in this thesis as the set of interrelated intentions of housing associations for activities regarding the housing stock within an area, which is partly based on the physical, social and economic characteristics of the area where the stock is located, which has been prepared in cooperation with stakeholders (or at least is taking into account stakeholders) and which is in connection with other activities, with the aim to increase the quality of the area. In this research area-based asset management is considered a form of planning. Planning is a process that is about the future improvement of the living conditions in areas. It is a goal-oriented process in which actors undertake planning activities based on knowledge. The area-based asset management can be achieved by using different planning approaches. The literature review resulted in five planning approaches to describe the process of area-based asset management: rational planning, incremental planning, political planning, collaborative planning and social movement planning. These approaches differ on the following elements: actors, use of knowledge, activities and objective. With these elements, the area-based asset management process of housing associations can be described. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, which can contribute to the area-based asset management process positively and negatively. This contribution can be compared using the following criteria: feasibility, action potential, substantive theory, public interest, human dimension and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). Feasibility relates to the feasibility of the process. The process should lead to policy implications and should be able to adapt to different situations. Action potential means that the process includes conditions that contribute to the implementation of the policy. Substantive theory means that the planning process should be consistent with the substantive issues and should make use of substantive theories and knowledge. In the public interest criterion the question is whether a planning approach has explicit methods to deal with different interests and to recognize conflicting interests and societal problems. Human dimension is about the attention for subjective considerations and implications of planning, for example for personal, psychological, ideological, political and cultural considerations and consequences. Finally, selfreflective concerns the room a process provides for reflection and criticism. In this thesis the housing association is understood as a social enterprise. Social enterprises are organizations that are designed as private entities and operate in a market situation, that simultaneously use their resources to pursue a societal goal that is intertwined with (or is partially parallel to) the public interest, that produces goods and services and which financial surplus or profit is not distributed, but is fully utilized to achieve the social goal that they pursue (Toonen et al., 2003; Wetenschappelijk Instituut voor het CDA, 2005). Social enterprises have a hybrid position between state, market and society. However, the following shared normative characteristics can be identified that typify the behavior of the social enterprise (Dees, 2001:4): Social enterprises: • have a mission to create and sustain social value; • recognize and pursue new opportunities to contribute to the mission; • are in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation and learning, • act boldly without being hindered by the current own resources; • show a great responsibility for the outcomes of their activities to the groups they serve. Suppositions The fact that there is no planning approach that makes a positive contribution to the process on all the criteria and that planning approaches differ in the contribution they make to the area-based asset management process, leads to the following supposition: 1. Area-based asset management of housing associations is the result of a mixture of planning approaches and elements. By applying a mixture of planning approaches, it is possible to make a positive contribution on multiple criteria. Supposition 1 was confirmed in the pilot case. The case showed that the five planning approaches studied in this thesis were used within the restructuring district Nieuwland over the years. Also the survey, aiming to get an overview of the way housing associations in restructuring districts get to their (proposed) housing stock activities, confirmed this. The two case studies supported this supposition. All elements of the planning approaches were distinguished in the asset management process in the districts Indische Buurt and Oude Noorden. In the various stages of the process different planning approaches and elements were dominant. For example, a weak property of the rational approach, dealing with multiple interests (see section 2.2), was compensated by involving multiple stakeholders (collaborative element) in drafting both the asset management plan of Indische Buurt as the development vision of Oude Noorden. Based on the characteristics of the social enterprise, of urban renewal and restructuring and of community development, the following supposition is formulated: 2. Area-based asset management of housing associations is mainly the result of a rational and collaborative planning approach. The survey revealed that elements of the rational and collaborative approach often occur. The least often activities resulted from social movement and political elements. This confirmed supposition 2. In the two cases studied also the rational and collaborative elements often emerged. In the period of preparing the asset management plan the focus of de Alliantie was on rational elements. In the periods in which de Alliantie negotiated on covenants the emphasis was on collaborative planning, but also the political approach was relevant. In the phase of implementation of the asset management plan all approaches except the political played a part. In the Com•wonen case the emphasis was, in the period of preparation of the plan, on political, collaborative and rational elements. In the implementation phase, the focus was on incremental elements, and in the preparation of the asset management plan on rational elements. During the period that a joint structure was established, externally there were collaborative and incremental elements involved. There were also political elements recognizable. Internally, it was mainly a matter of collaborative elements. The pilot resulted in the following supposition: 3. The planning approaches respond to each other. The planning approach that is followed is influenced by the preceding planning approach. In the cases this assumption was confirmed. In both cases, social movement planning was followed by collaborative planning. At Com•wonen a squat led to consultation and at de Alliantie protest led to the introduction of residents platforms. Also in both cases incremental planning followed rational planning. At de Alliantie the rationally drawn asset management plan was reassessed and updated incrementally at the project level. At Com•wonen the asset management plan that was formulated in 2006 was reassessed twice in incremental label sessions. Another supposition that stemmed from the pilot was the following: 4. The emphasis of approaches shifts in the course of time. This supposition was also confirmed in the cases. In the cases different phases can be distinguished in which different planning approaches predominate. The phase in which an area plan was drawn up can be distinguished from the phase in which the focus was on the implementation of this plan and the phase in which other parties were involved into the planning process. The phase in which the process is located , also seems to affect the planning approach that is used. The predominantly rational plan is followed by a political process of negotiation after which the process develops, through incremental planning, in a collaborative direction. Social movement planning is rare, but when it occurs it is reason to change the process. At de Alliantie the rational preparation of the asset management plan was followed by political negotiations that led to the first covenant. Then implementation took place in an incremental and collaborative process. The plans were modified in consultation with residents. At Com•wonen the development vision (and the resulting area agreement) was a result of both a rational and political process. Then there was an incremental phase of implementation that led to a collaborative structure. The final assumption that stemmed from the pilot case, is: 5. Developments in the context of housing affect the planning approach that uses the housing. This assumption was confirmed in the two cases studied. It was clear that housing associations could not choose a planning approach just like that. The choice of a planning approach is influenced by contextual factors outside the housing association. These can be institutional factors, such as the presence, characteristics and attitudes of the actors. In the Indische Buurt for example, the residents were not organized in the early stages of the process. In the Ouden Noorden fellow associations did not participate in a joint plan by which there could be no collaborative planning. In addition, the complexity, nature and scale of the task differs. For example, at de Alliantie, the interventions were focused on the “preservation and restoration” of 1700 homes. At Com•wonen the emphasis was on creating a nice shopping street. Also the housing market is different in both contexts. In Amsterdam, the housing market is significantly tighter than in Rotterdam. Specific events may also have an impact on the planning approach. Protests from residents resulted in the Indische Buurt in adjustment of the process. In the Oude Noorden the poor economic situation of the businessmen in the shopping street was the reason for housing associations PWS and Com•wonen to join forces and launch a collaborative process. Housing associations themselves also have an influence on the planning process, for example by taking the initiative, assuming a certain position, forming a vision, mobilizing resources and through the organization of their association. For example, de Alliantie took the initiative to independently set up a worked out plan. She also has adopted an open/flexible attitude by not handling the plan as a blueprint, but as a direction. Com•wonen displaced for example the community development section to the Real Estate department, which made the planning process more consistent. Developing an asset management plan in 2006 was a step towards rational planning. With the abandoning of this plan the process became more incremental. In the figure above, above factors that have influence on the planning approach are shown schematically. Strengths and weaknesses in practice The strengths and weaknesses of the planning approach in this thesis are tested on the following criteria: public interest, human dimension, feasibility, action potential, substantive theory and self-reflective (Hudson et al., 1979). For each criterion is examined in the case studies which (positive or negative) impact a particular planning approach has on the process and whether it matches the expectation based on the theory. Public interest The expectation was that collaborative planning would positivily contribute to the public interest criterion. This seems to be confirmed in the cases. At Com•wonen the internal planning team monitored the public interest because in the team any “interest” was represented. Externally the process manager took care of the connection of interests and safeguarding the public interest. The positive contribution that was expected by political planning is confirmed. At de Alliantie it was shown how political planning can contribute to the public interest. In the negotiations for the first covenant de Alliantie contributed to the public interest (for example, the behind-the-door approach) as to bring negotiations further. Human dimension The expectation was that collaborative planning is a positive contribution to the criterion of human dimension. The findings of the case studies support this. For example, participation in the context of the development vision at Com•wonen and the residents platforms and home visits at the de Alliantie case. The expected positive contribution of social movement planning is also reflected in the cases. Social movement planning in the form of squatting a property of Com•wonen and in the form of residents protest at de Alliantie following the first experimental projects. Feasibility Based on the theory, a low feasibility of the collaborative approach was expected because of the multitude of parties. This is consistent with what was found in the case studies. However, at the Com•wonen case there were collaborative elements that had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. The use of a shared vision and the commitment of an independent process manager who was responsible for the process contributed to the feasibility of the process. The expectation in the rational approach was not univocal. On the one hand, the rational approach uses a simple linear model, on the other hand the claim to be comprehensive makes the approach complex. The cases showed that that the independent top-down approach of de Alliantie and the use of process manual by Com•wonen had a positive impact on feasibility. Both factors are elaborations of the simple linear model. The expectation was that the incremental approach had a positive impact on the feasibility criterion. At Com•wonen this positive influence was apparent that plans were elaborations of existing plans. Also the lack of strong overarching frameworks with clear goals, characteristic of the incremental approach, contributed to the performance on the criterion of feasibility, because there was plenty of room for the area-based completion of the plan. Action potential The expectation was that collaborative planning would contribute negatively to the criterion action potential. However, in the Com•wonen case collaborative elements also contributed to the action potential of the plans. Subsidies created external pressure to proceed to implementation and intensive cooperation prevented stagnation when there was friction. Incremental planning was expected to contribute to the action potential of the policy. A realistic final image (target), associated with the incremental approach, contributed to the action potential in the Com•wonen case. Substantive theory On the substantive theory criterion a negative contribution was expected from the rational, incremental and political approach. The expected contribution of the collaborative and the social movement planning approach was not clear. In the cases no relation was found between the approach practised and the substantive theory criterion. Self-reflective The expectation was that the rational approach would contribute negatively on the criterion of self-reflective. However, at de Alliantie the experiments with the labeling (rational planning) contributed to the reflectivity of the process. The expectation was that the incremental approach would not be reflective. Yet, the Com•wonen case showed that the reassessment of the area agreements from 2004 resulted in the reflective capacity of the process of Com•wonen. This reassessment fits the incremental approach. Recommendations Based on this study, the following recommendations can be made for housing associations: • Housing associations must be proficient in several approaches. • Tune the approach to the local context and organization. • Tune the approach to the phase where the process is in. • Pay more attention to the substantive aspects of planning (substantive theory). • Provide for sufficient flexibility within the frameworks of the overall portfolio policy. With the results of this study housing associations can gain a better understanding of their asset management process and they can adjust the process so that they can make better-informed decisions regarding their housing stock. This allows them to execute their societal tasks more effectively and efficiently.