Joint Degree of Technische Universiteit Delft & Wageningen University and Research
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Artikel
MSc Thesis: Topping up Together
[Full title: Topping up together: Evaluating participation processess to accelerate residential top-ups in the Netherlands]
Abstract
This research provides a framework to evaluate participation processes and their contribution to citizen support for top-ups in the Netherlands. The findings have illustrated how participation processes contribute to the support for top-ups by using a context-specific approach, adjusting the level of participation to the needs of both current and future residents, and combining both issue- and action-based activities. Additionally, it presents an overview of key social factors for top-ups, that moderate the influence of the participation process on the support for top-ups. In conclusion, it provides more avenues of opportunities for topping up together.Auteur: Olivia Wong | 19 March 2024MSc Metropolitan Analysis, Design and Engineering
Joint Degree of Technische Universiteit Delft & Wageningen University and Research -
Artikel
Creating Sustainable Value in the Dutch Food and Beverage Retail Sector with Internet of Things
The retail environment has seen significant changes as a result of the digital transformation. It provides new opportunities for individual retailers, and the potential to be extremely disruptive, leading to the redesign of the entire retail sector and the emergence of new sustainable business models and value creation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how IoT enables sustainable value creation in the F&B retail sector and proposes a framework to analyze IoT's impact and identify opportunities for sustainable value. The study aimed to develop a framework that classified and categorized relevant concepts to analyze how IoT advances sustainability in retail business models. Sampling was done in a qualitative manner, with interviews done with respondents from major retail stores in the Netherlands. From the interviews, several best practices arise in which IoT proves to play an important role in enabling sustainable value creation. The study identifies twelve best practices, divided into five overarching categories: waste management, stock management, asset management, delivery management, and transparency management, illustrated with tangible examples. They are all described accompanied by tangible examples, to illustrate what these best practices entail in the real world. Afterwards, the results from the literature were combined with the results based on the data, whereafter a framework for analysis is presented. The framework consists of four main components: IoT, barriers and drivers, the interpretation of a sustainable business model, and an overview of sustainable value creation. This framework and best practices are the main outcomes and aim to act as a tool to systematically identify and analyze opportunities to enhance sustainable value in retail. Future research should focus on developing practical guidelines that offer step-by-step instructions for managers to successfully implement IoT technologies and foster sustainable practices within their organizations. Finally, it is anticipated that IoT will gradually be used in several areas of the retail value chain. There will be many opportunities for further collaborative and data-driven initiatives once all retailers have adapted Iot in their business model.
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Do Words Change Worlds?
In response to the challenges cities face due to changing urban dynamics like climate change, local institutions must adapt and evolve. This research qualitatively explores how to improve the learning capacity of civil servants at the municipality of Amsterdam to become more adaptable. By using podcasting as a research method, this research aims to provide insights into the perspectives of trainees and experts on transformative learning and adaptive expertise. These two concepts were divided into multiple dimensions that were analysed and measured to come to conclusions on the learning capacity of trainees and experts at the municipality of Amsterdam. The main findings are the municipality’s achievement-based focus hindering the overall mindset towards learning. With the pinnacle of this being that the time spent outside the work assignments, which can be used for learning purposes, is labeled as unproductive hours. By changing the way the municipality frames the hours outside of the assignment, the overall view on learning will change along with it. Moreover, most experts at the municipality mention that their supervisor or manager acts as their mentor, while at the same time they are responsible for assessing the work that is done. This creates an atmosphere that does not allow civil servants to be fully transparent on their personal struggles, in fear of a bad assessment. By offering a wider range of mentorship opportunities, the culture of mentoring will be improved. Lastly, a standout revelation is the role of traineeships in shaping the learning culture of the entire municipality. Traineeships provide structured self-reflection practices, cultivate an environment of openness and learning, and offer mentoring opportunities. These qualities set traineeships apart and suggest their potential to influence the broader municipality's learning landscape.
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Enhancing solid waste management in Kigali, Rwanda: challenges and opportunities from the perspective of waste collection companies
In Kigali, Rwanda, urbanization and increased affluence will increase the amount of waste. Currently, there is no sustainable disposal of the waste, as unsorted waste is deposited in an unsanitary landfill, which is beginning to fill up. The Rwandan government aims to create a circular economy and tries to address waste management, but few developments are taking place.
As there is a need for sustainable waste management solutions, this qualitative case study examines factors affecting the effectiveness of Kigali’s solid waste management (SWM) from the perspective of waste collection companies (WCCs), as these stakeholders’ views have not been explored before. Data were collected by means of observations, interviews, and a literature review.
The current status of the SWM system and obstacles experienced by respondents are categorized using Wilson’s Wasteaware indicators (2015). Finally, results are examined by means of the dimensions of the Modernized Mixtures Approach (MMA) (Oosterveer & Spaargaren, 2010).
Analysis shows that links within Kigali’s SWM are unprepared to handle separated waste streams, inhibiting recycling. Further, there is a lack of knowledge on proper waste disposal among residents, while government educational attempts remain largely ineffective. Also, policies, issued by many different government agencies, are often contradicting. As no data are collected on the status of SWM, there is little monitoring of progress. Finally, WCCs face defaulters, leading to a weakened financial situation.
Recommendations from this research are to centralize the system, within both government and payment system. Breaking the identified ‘multilevel non-separation feedback loop’ may create opportunities to handle separated waste streams, thus enabling recycling. Using media to educate residents regarding source separation and a color-coding system for different waste streams is potentially successful and might break the loop. Gaining visibility into the status of the SWM, placing a weighbridge at the landfill would be a good start. -
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Transforming business parks into a mixed use space of integrated working, living and landscape
Space is becoming increasingly scarce. Competing functions want to use the same available scarce space. This thesis focus on mixed use business parks; the spatial result of combining working, living and landscape. The purpose of this thesis is to generalize design principles for business parks, in order to diminish monofunctional developments, protect open space and stimulate housing and environmental demands. First, a literature research is done to analysis how Dutch planning is organized regarding business and housing developments and to find out which design principles can be used to combine working, living and landscape. Design principles are extracted from six concepts: compact city, mixed use development, ecosystem services, liveability, accessibility and modularity. Second, a case study approach (Plaspoelpolder in Rijswijk) is chosen to illustrate how a mix of functions may look like according to the design principles. The case study shows that the ideas of (1) integrating living, working and landscape on business parks, (2) vertical densification and (3) separate traffic flows of different users, lead to surprising efficient solutions of improved use of existing space. Lastly, the conclusion show that business parks offer enormous potential for combining work, living and landscape when applying vertical separation of functions, instead of horizontal separation, and is key to prevent further urban expansion.
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A Voice In Every Home
This study employs a citizen-centric approach to thoroughly investigate involuntary housing relocation within Singapore. By examining historical and contemporary facets of urban renewal, it uncovers pivotal challenges related to ageing housing, lease deterioration, shifting demographics, and the heightened expectations of the public in the evolution of Singapore’s urban renewal policies, notably exemplified by SERS. Moreover, it critically evaluates the potential of VERS as a transformative tool for guiding future urban renewal efforts, emphasizing the necessity of addressing compensation, citizen engagement, and policy transparency challenges within this framework.
Utilising a qualitative methodology that integrates questionnaire and interview data collection, the study reveals valuable insights into the preferences, concerns, and expectations of homeowner residents concerning involuntary housing relocation. It underscores the crucial need for substantial government support and inclusive decision-making processes to effectively meet the diverse expectations of residents. Homeowners emphasize short-term factors over the age of the property, highlighting the urgent necessity for policy alignment and transparent communication to bridge gaps and accommodate varied needs.
The study sheds light on a spectrum of opinions regarding how the remaining lease duration impacts HDB property values and the anxieties related to involuntary relocation, contingent upon residents' moving intentions and their level of trust in the government. Recommendations encompass the implementation of a dual-tiered communication strategy and a customized compensation formula to augment policy effectiveness. While acknowledging limitations such as a small, non-random sample and the distinctive housing governance in Singapore, future research should broaden the demographic scope, conduct longitudinal studies, and engage in comparative analyses to attain a comprehensive understanding of urban renewal effects and policy efficacy. -
Artikel
Ageing in Place
The demographic shift towards an aging population in the Netherlands is a significant concern, with projections indicating that 25 percent of the country's citizens will be over 65 years old by 2050. Addressing the needs of these older adults to live in suitable homes that support aging in place is crucial. Older adult homes, commonly implemented by social housing corporations in urban areas, present a potential solution. By studying these buildings and their ability to support aging adults, valuable insights can be gained for future designs. To investigate the shared spaces and their attributes within older adult housing complexes, this research employs the Multi Assessment System for Built Environment (MASBE) and utilizes the social network theory. The case study conducted in this research focuses on the Laurierhof complex in Amsterdam and employs interviews and observations as data collection methods. The results of the study provide a diverse range of perspectives on the livability of the complex and how residents use the shared spaces. Based on these findings, recommendations are proposed for various target groups, including policy makers, housing corporations, and architects. These recommendations encompass design considerations aimed at enhancing indoor visibility, incorporating benches or facilitating furniture, creating space for personalization of shared areas, broadening spaces, establishing sufficient support systems, recognizing the importance of the threshold space, and providing both collective outdoor and indoor spaces.
Author: Loeki den Uijl
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Revitalizing Amsterdam’s Green Policies
The decline of microbial diversity in the Anthropocene era has ecological and human health implications. The gut microbiome, which plays a crucial role in immune system regulation and overall well-being, emphasizes the importance of microbial diversity. Urban environments, however, present challenges for microbial exposure due to absence of biodiverse natural environments. Strategies like Microbiome-Inspired Green Infrastructure (MIGI), which emcompasses green spaces that aim to support the functionality and resilience of microbial ecosystems, need to be integrated into long-term urban development plans to mitigate the loss of microbial diversity and foster healthier urban environments. This study aims to understand how MIGI or other microbial-inclusive practices can be effectively integrated into Amsterdam's existing green policy. This is done by studying the current relation between Amsterdam’s green policy and microbial-inclusive practices using a Policy Arrangement Approach with four dimensions: actors, resources, rules of the game, and discourse. Document analysis, semi-structed interviews and an expert meeting reveals that microbial-inclusive practices are largely absent within the current green policy of Amsterdam. Based on the findings recommendations are provided to systematically integrate microbial inclusive practices, alongside recommendations for further research.
Author: Lune Walder
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Who are they? What do they want? And why do they want it?
The Dutch population is facing a housing crisis. This crisis has slowly been affecting housing options in the whole country, but it predominantly shows problems in the densely populated urban regions. In September 2021, approximately 15000 gathered in Amsterdam at a large housing protest: the Woonprotest. This research is an explorative case study to comprehend the pluriformity of ideologies and protest motives that came together at the Woonprotest. By means of a literature review, a photo analysis and qualitative interviews, the differences in housing ideologies and protest motives of the protesters are determined. Based on a literature review, the run-up to the housing crisis is reconstructed. A photo analysis determines the different types of protest attendees. By analysing the interviews, it appears that protesters clearly have three different ideologies when it comes to housing: communism, anarchism, and solving the crisis within the current system. However, the respondents’ opinions on actual policy changes are very similar, even when it comes to radical ideas. Considering the protest motives, the respondents have equivalent purposes to protest. Protesters want to express their discontent with the housing shortage and they want something to change after the protest. The results of this research helps the movement to get a grip on its supporters. Further research is needed to understand the implications of having strong differences in ideologies within the housing movement.
Author: Marie Gaeraedts
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Artikel
Achieving Carbon Budget Compliance in the Dutch Housing Development Sector
The Dutch housing development sector faces challenges of dealing with a housing shortage whilst having to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge is urgent, the carbon budget for the Dutch housing development sector for staying within 1.5 degrees Celsius is running out rapidly and expected to run out as early as 2027. Hence, there is urgent need to decarbonize the sector. Barriers and opportunities for carbon budget compliance for Dutch developers are explored in this research utilizing an embedded case study research design. Where first a CO2 analysis is performed for twelve representative case study buildings, considering both upfront embodied carbon emissions and operational carbon emissions between 2023 and 2050. The findings indicate that the majority of these cases are currently non-compliant with the carbon budget threshold levels, highlighting the urgency for a necessary fundamential transformation of the sector.
Author: Evelien Dekker
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Justice in the redevelopment of urban heritage sites
The evolution of global maritime trade in the twentieth century dramatically reshaped the functional reality of port cities and pushed operational port areas away from historic urban centres. The docklands vacated by port operations have been identified as strategic zones for redevelopment, and their redevelopment has given rise to a global typology - the port-urban waterfont regeneration project. The manner in which redevelopment of these port-urban waterfront areas has occurred has been linked to numerous urban challenges, including the destruction of cultural heritage. This thesis utilises the Policy Arrangement Approach to analyse to what extent socio-spatial justice has been considered in the redevelopment process of one such port-urban waterfront zone - the North Shore, Liverpool (UK). The research finds that applying a socio-spatial justice lens to the Policy Arrangement Approach creates an effective tool for the interrogation of redevelopment processes, and makes specific recommendations to improve the ongoing redevelopment process at the North Shore.
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The Digital Camp
Throughout the 20 th and 21st centuries, the number of refugees has continued to climb. In the last few decades, refugee camps have continued to grow in number, scale, and age. With camps lasting an average of 17 years, and some growing to sizes of over half a million inhabitants, these sites are becoming increasingly urban. However, despite their emergent urbanity, refugees are typically not afforded the same level of agency or participation in the planning processes which shape their lives. This is especially problematic due to the sub-standard quality of life most refugees face. Meanwhile, Information Communication Technologies (ICT) have been growing rapidly and shaping the world. In cities, digital participation platforms such as dedicated municipal applications and participatory geo-information systems (PPGIS) are being leveraged to transform how residents can engage with shaping their city and neighbourhoods. With growing affordability, and UNHCR plans to ‘connect’ camps, the widespread usage of ICT in refugee camps is likely in the near future. Access to ICT could make feasible the use of contemporary digital participation tools in refugee camps. This begs the question, what would happen if they were? How would this affect current challenges? Through two systematic literature reviews and a synthesizing framework design, this study theorizes the potential benefits and challenges in applying digital participation technologies and methods to refugee camp challenges.
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Creating value for citizens through citizen participation in urban regeneration
The use of citizen participation in urban regeneration projects in Western European cities is increasing. Particularly in Amsterdam, participation with regards to regeneration projects is stimulated by the city government. Although the literature shows that not all such participatory processes are of value to citizens, there is a lack of research on how value can be created for those participating through the process of citizen participation. This thesis aims to (1) develop a theoretical understanding of the values that can be created for citizens through citizen participation, and (2) identify whether and how these values of participation are created for citizens in a real-life case of citizen participation in urban regeneration in Amsterdam. Through a review of urban planning literature four values that can be created for citizens through citizen participation are found, namely: “power and empowerment”, “social cohesion and inclusion”, “social justice and equity”, and “democratic citizenship and skills”. To explore the importance of these values for citizens at the individual level, they are studied through the lens of the basic personal values as defined by social psychologist Schwartz (2012).
For references, please read the document. -
Artikel
Ecology in Urban Development
Changes to ecosystems due to human activity have occurred more quickly in the previous 65 years than at any other period in history, this has resulted in an irreversible loss in biodiversity worldwide. A direct consequence is a decrease in ecosystem services - the benefits for humans that are provided by ecology - which are needed to keep especially cities liveable places. It is therefore crucial that cities are going to be developed more sustainably. Several theories acknowledge that for sustainable urban development, a shift is needed from a fragmented approach to a systematic approach to development. Therefore, this thesis has studied the potential of systems thinking to make ecology more important in the process of urban development. This has been done through document analysis and semi-structured interviews, which clarified how ecology is approached in the current process. It emphasized the current socio-technical landscape we are in, where ecology is still something that is controlled by humans and where urban ecology is not acknowledged as a distinct urban system. The interviews have been used to indicate the challenges and opportunities for systems thinking to change this landscape. This has formed the foundation of preliminary recommendations that have been validated through a workshop.
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Place identities of transforming port-city areas
The municipality of Stockholm is currently working on one of Stockholm’s most extensive and complex urban areas: The Stockholm Royal Seaport (se: Norra Djurgårdsstaden). The area is an example of how a former industrial port area is being transformed into a sustainable urban district. Because of the transformation of the area, the identity of the place is slowly changing to something different. Place identity is a two-way relationship in which a place influences people and where people tend to change and create the place in a way that represents them. This research wants to get insights on the place identities of the municipality of Stockholm and the residents of the Stockholm Royal Seaport, to see how synergies can be created between them. The four elements of Amundsen (2001) are used to assess and define the place identities and allow to understand what makes the areas distinctive compared to other places. With these insights, the aim of the research is to provide the municipality with recommendations for the further place branding and development of the Stockholm Royal Seaport, as many scholars argue that the identity of a place should be the base of a place branding strategy. This is important to consider as the place brand should be representative to all segments of the area, especially as it has the potential to affect the place identity over time.
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MSc MADE Thesis AMS Institute - A Design for Darkness strategy for Amsterdam Noord
This research aims to reduce the amount of light pollution in Amsterdam Noord, a district in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in the form of a case study. A Design for Darkness strategy, that helps reintroducing darkness into our urban nightscapes, is applied to structure this thesis. The outcomes of this research suggest that the lighting in the green structure in Noord can be turned off, that experiments with lower light levels in residential areas should be conducted, that light nuisance in the form of glare and light trespass should be diminished, and that more lighting plans should focus on a qualitative, perception-based lighting approach, instead of only designing with a quantitative basis. Furthermore, the results indicate that dimming the lighting would be beneficial for the reduction of light pollution.
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From ambitions to reality. Understanding and quantifying the relations between food, energy & water for a neighborhood sustainability hub, the green tower in Amsterdam
Sustainable food, energy, and water (FEW) provisions are essential to creating sustainable urban communities. However, there are only few examples of decentralized systems that support the generation, distribution, and recycling of FEW at a neighbourhood level. Let alone examples of a neighbourhood sustainability hub that processes all three at one location. Motived by the Green Tower in the Bajeskwartier, a tower with the intention to become the ‘sustainable heart of the neighbourhood’, this thesis aims to improve the understanding of the interrelations in FEW for neighbourhood sustainability hubs.
References can be found inside the document.In this, emphasis is placed on creating a flexible and interactive tool that helps improve this understanding to help designers and developers in the initiation phase of designing the hub. The Green Tower is used as case study for this research and the designers as test group for the tool. Design thinking was applied as overarching methodological approach and the FEW Nexus used as theoretical basis for creating this tool. First, a stakeholder analysis and power relation mapping helped identify the types of involvement of the main stakeholders. Then, a literature study and a series of SWOT analyses helped understand the preliminary design of the Green Tower and the strengths and weaknesses of its planned systems from a FEW Nexus approach. Afterwards, a system diagram and theoretical model were created to visualize the planned and potential relations in FEW among the Green Tower’s systems. By means of prototyping, an interactive quantitative model was made in Excel that calculates the FEW balances of the sustainability hub based on a scalable floor plan. Last, the outcomes of the model were tested in a focus group with representatives of the main stakeholders involved in designing the Green Tower. The tool created in this thesis exists of the visualization method and quantitative model. The results of the quantitative model showed that the current program of the Green Tower has a negative energy balance, limited availability in food supply and a lack of water treatments systems from a FEW Nexus perspective. The design team of the Green Tower positively received the tool and results. An elaborate set of recommendation for operationalizing the tool have been documented.
Author: Jesse Bergman
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MSc MADE AMS Institute - Exploring the relationship between public policy and social capital in free physical leisure activities
In public policies, sport is often used as a tool to reach an extensive list of social and economic aims. The municipality of Amsterdam is no exception in this, utilising incentivising sports policies for a broad target group of children, the elderly and people residing in developing neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods are areas where many people have fewer opportunities than their fellow city dwellers in other districts, and also have a relatively low sports participation rate in comparison. In these neighbourhoods, a multitude of free physical leisure activity initiatives are at work to engage inhabitants in sports. This qualitative research aims to better understand the relationship between the social capital created in participating in these activities and the goals the municipality has posed in their policies from a sociological perspective. This research has been carried out in two developing neighbourhoods in the city of Amsterdam.
References can be found inside the document.Author: Pleuni Stigter
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MSc MADE Thesis AMS Institute - Cohousing as an opportunity to increase the self-reliance of economic homeless people
Due to the tightness of the housing market, the number of economic homeless people in the Netherlands has increased significantly. According to the Wmo 2015, citizens are required first to solve their problems themselves or within their own network. Most economic homeless people do not have an informal social network and end up in a homeless shelter. In the homeless shelters, they become dependent on formal support organisations and are barely part of society. This study compares the homeless shelter with a potential alternative, such as cohousing, to increase the self reliance of economic homeless people.
Author: Danielle Schol
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MSc MADE AMS Institute - Summer in the City
This thesis researches nuisance problems in Amsterdam-east due to summer recreation in urban green-blue open spaces, by analysing citizen reports on nuisance experiences and interventions. Over the last decade, summer recreation in urban green-blue open spaces has become increasingly popular in Amsterdam, but so has the amount of reported nuisance because of summer recreation. In this thesis, the nuisance that has been reported by citizens during the summer recreation season from 2020 has been analysed by coding the reports in Atlas.TI, and using a survey from the Muncipality of Amsterdam as a verification. There are two locations where large amounts of nuisance reports have been filed, the Bogortuin and Park Somerlust, and several smaller locations with quay walls in the Oostelijk Havengebied and on the Amstel river. The content on the individual nuisance experience in the reports has been separated in observations, providing the nuisance causes, and evaluations, providing the nuisance impact.
References can be found inside the document.Author: Sophie Boot.
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MSc MADE Thesis AMS Institute - Design for social encounters
This thesis researches the influence of the spatial composition in collaborative housing in Amsterdam on the social encounters between residents. This form of housing combines autonomous housing units with shared common facilities and a strong social dimension. Since the 1970s, CH has emerged in Amsterdam. Currently, more than 100 CH projects are inhabited in the Dutch capital. From a designer’s point of view, the fundamental difference between collaborative housing and conventional housing is the presence of shared spaces among different households in conventional housing. Social interactions which are unfolding in these spaces play a key role in the sense of community among the residents. These interactions have been a subject of study for academics in various disciplines. A wide range of studies have gained insights on design aspects of these spaces. However, a systematic multiple-case study is currently lacking as evidence is predominantly based on case studies. In this master thesis, I aim to create a better understanding of the relation between social interaction and design by investigating the overall structure of the shared spaces and the corresponding social interactions that occur in a systematic matter.
Please find references inside the document.Author: Koen Kaljee
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MSc Thesis AMS Institute - “From Education to Innovation. How can the Living Lab methodology enhance knowledge valorisation in higher education Institutes?
Several conclusions can be drawn when juxtaposing the theory about Living Labs and knowledge valorisation with the empirical study of real examples and that was the main goal of this thesis research. Even though Living Labs in the academic context are a young phenomenon and the number of examined cases are limited, this thesis has aimed to outline the main characteristics that define them and discuss their valorisation capabilities.
Please find references inside the document.Author: Ioannidis Ioannis
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MSc Thesis AMS Institute - Drawing insights for building and managing living labs by using the 4E Framework and the McKinsey 7S Framework
Living labs represent an approach for developing innovative products in a real-life context by involving public institutions, private actors, and users as active participants in co-creation. Even though living labs are becoming more and more popular, there are still aspects about them which have been understudied. The academic literature lacks in-depth analyses of living lab participants, as well as guidelines for developing and managing such endeavors. Therefore, as a preliminary step of this research, a pilot study was performed for investigating challenges faced by living labs, and to which of the four components of the 4-E Framework these related. Through 20 interviews, this revealed that 82% of the challenges mentioned were rooted in the Participants element. Conclusively, the need to focus on this element was confirmed.
References can be found inside the document.Author: Daniel Buzatu
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MSc Thesis AMS Institute - Youth participation in tourism policy: A case study in Amsterdam City Centre
Young people are an under-researched topic in tourism studies nowadays, especially in their role as residents of the host community. As this group is susceptible to the effects of tourism in their environment, knowledge is needed about their perceptions and actions related to tourism. Their perspectives, ideas and knowledge can be of use to shape the future of tourism as they are the future of cities. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the relationship between the current arrangement of tourism policy and the engagement of young people. Through the lens of the Policy Arrangement Approach which focuses on the actors, resources, rules and discourse in a policy domain, a qualitative study is carried out in the context of the centre of Amsterdam. Interviews are conducted with eight stakeholders and eleven young people (15-30 years) living in the city centre. Via a qualitative content analysis, the aforementioned relationship is studied.
References can be found inside the document.This MSc thesis shows that youth participation is almost non-existent in this policy domain. The actors have incidental contact with young people, even though it is desired by them. Also, it comes to the fore that similar ideas about relevant knowledge and skills exist among the active stakeholders and young people. Furthermore, there is a high unfamiliarity about both the rules that focus on the content of tourism policy as on those that focus on the process of participation. Lastly, their view on tourism is, contrary to the actors in the policy-making process, very acceptive of the situation.
The conclusion is that no direct relation exists between the current arrangement of tourism policy and the engagement of youth in Amsterdam. This means that the actors, resources, rules and discourse are not directly connected to actual participation. It seems that the current arrangement of tourism policy sustains an environment in which young people are not made aware of the possibility to participate or the urgency of the challenge of tourism and their participation. Indirect connections, however, exist between the four dimensions and youth participation. These connections are about the unawareness, unfamiliarity or contradicting ideas of youth on the four dimensions of tourism policy. This MSc thesis contributes to existing literature as it studies the topic of participation from a policy perspective by focusing on four dimensions instead of a personal point of view, such as attitudes and perceptions, which is often chosen by researchers. Also, it aims attention at the role of young people which is a group that remains understudied -for already 30 years- in tourism studies. A few implications exist, such as missing an important stakeholder, a rather monotonous group of youngsters in terms of age and the fact that this thesis does not include personal factors that also affect youth participation. These can be included in further research to gain a better and more comprehensive understanding of youth participation in tourism policy.
Author: Carmen Kistenmaker
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MSc Thesis AMS Institute - (Rest)room for Improvement: An analysis on the social inclusiveness of public restrooms in the Netherlands
Public sanitation is an important aspect of daily life. The awareness around the shortage of proper public sanitation is growing, however only focussing on more general groups of the population. This thesis uses this momentum to contribute to the social inclusiveness of public restrooms. By means of a user survey, this study demonstrates a correlation between negative experiences of public restroom use and non-cisgender people, older adults and physically less able people in the Netherlands. The results show the importance to focus on the number (one every 500 metres) and hygiene of public restrooms, the wayfinding in and towards facilities, having plenty of space, proper restroom bound facilities and lastly, an open feel to improve the feeling of safety. Especially in parks and recreational areas more sanitation facilities are necessary.
References can be found inside the document.A combination of male/female and gender neutral stalls turned out to be preferred. The results of the study are translated into design guidelines to help city planners and designers of public restrooms develop more socially inclusive sanitation facilities. The findings of this study should be used to design socially inclusive public restroom. However, design is trivial when there are not enough public restrooms open to everyone. Future research should focus on the feasibility and implementation of more and more socially inclusive sanitation facilities.
Author: Justine Donia Nota
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MSc Thesis AMS Institute - Capturing culture: A quantitative approach to map Dutch cultures in a landscape of regionalizing governance
Regionalization of governance is an ever-ongoing process in the Netherlands. This process is spurred by societal developments such as globalization, digitalization and a push for sustainability that demand to be tackled beyond the borders of local governance structures. Governance regionalization has mostly been spurred by functional or strategic reasons, but it is argued that the role of a cultural identity is equally important for successful regional governance. This is reflected in public unrest around regionalization of governance, as citizens fear a loss of identity. This demands a pragmatic, nationwide approach to evaluate the role of regional culture in regionalization of governance; one reason for the lack of attention for regional cultural identity in governance regionalization, is that there is no comprehensive way to capture it.
Therefore, this thesis first aims to research how cultural regions in the Netherlands can be quantified and mapped. Second, it researches how regionalized governance can relate to cultural and functional regions in the Netherlands.
Please find refernces inside the document.Author: Wouter Johanns