Private Development Research Articles

DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE OF UZBEKSITAN

The Cultural Heritage Act provides strong protection for cultural monuments, but this is not enough to give cultural monuments the protection they need. Monuments and sites are illegally damaged or destroyed both deliberately and accidentally. Grants for expenses related to archaeological excavations in smaller, private development projects is considered to be an important tool for the preservation of archaeological heritage. Another important tool in this respect is up-to-date registers of various types of cultural monuments and sites. In Samarkand and the other region of Uzbekistan registers that contain information on the cultural heritage and the environment have been integrated into one database. It is also important to give everyone who comes into contact with archaeological monuments and sites sufficient information and make them aware of the valuable cultural heritage.

Urban green grabbing: Residential real estate developers discourse and practice in gentrifying Global North neighborhoods

In the movement towards building greener and more sustainable cities, real estate developers are increasingly embracing not only green building construction but broader strategies and action related to urban greening. To date, their motivations and role in this broader urban greening dynamic remains underexplored, yet essential to dissect how greening is sustained and real estate development legitimized in revitalizing neighborhoods. With an eye to better understand green urban capitalist development processes underway amidst financialized nature and urban growth, and the equity impacts they entail, we explore residential real estate developers urban greening discourses and practices. Through a novel dataset of 42 interviews with private and non-profit residential real estate developers in 15 mid-sized American, Western European and Canadian cities, we uncover three differentiated but interconnected discourses around (i) financial benefits, (ii) consumer- or investor-driven demand and (iii) social dimensions behind developers’ interest in urban greening. We argue that developers embark on urban green grabbing through “green” discursive and material value appropriation and rent extraction strategies. Urban green grabbing is conceptually useful in depicting who benefits and how/when developers extract additional rent, surplus value, social capital and/or prestige from locating new residential projects adjacent to new or up-and-coming green amenities. Our work contributes to debates about urban greening's perceived position as a value-producing and rent-extracting good from both a political economy and political ecology perspective.

Situated Ethics in Development: STS Insights for a Pragmatic Approach to Development Policy and Practice

Technology has played a central role in development programming since the inception of development assistance. Recent development organizations, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, believe technological innovation can improve development outcomes. Development ethics, a field of study focused on the ethical questions posed by development policies and practices, has yet to fully appreciate the ethical dimensions of the science and technology. Addressing this important research and policy gap, we contend that science and technology studies (STS) offers important insights that can be used in combination with development ethics to influence development policies and practices. Utilizing a case study of a private development program in Uganda, we illustrate how STS offers important insights for understanding how a sociotechnical ensemble placed pressure on already scarce water resources. Two dimensions of STS scholarship, the power asymmetries of technological development and the incomplete or partial nature of technoscientific knowledge, are examined and help us to understand how sociotechnical ensembles in development increase the likelihood of the emergence of publics who are negatively impacted by sociotechnical ensembles in development programs. Leveraging STS insights, we argue for the importance of situated ethics—a pragmatic approach to ensuring responsiveness to the emergence of these publics.

How to Transform Liability of Foreignness into Asset of Foreignness under the “Belt and Road” Initiative? A Case Study from the Perspective of Social Network

Under the “Belt and Road” Initiative （BRI）, Chinese companies’ “go-global” has gradually become an important strategy for industrial upgrading. However, many “go-global” companies have met the liability of foreignness （LOF）, including legitimacy problems and the threat of exit. How to overcome LOF has become an urgent problem for the overseas subsidiaries of “go-global” companies.We illustrate our arguments through a single case of Chinese multinational subsidiary Taiwenlong Cement Co., Ltd. in Cambodia. This paper studies from the perspective of social network analysis to identify the source of LOF, and discusses the mode of transforming LOF into the asset of foreignness （AOF）. The case company, Taiwenlong Cement Co., Ltd., is a joint venture between a Chinese company and a host-country company. As a representative of the successful transformation of LOF into AOF, this project experienced both the “honeymoon period” and the “setback period” in its construction and operation process and finally gained a foothold in Cambodia after various attempts.Based on the case analysis, we find that under the BRI, LOF of foreign subsidiaries of Chinese companies in countries along the BRI shows dynamic changes. This paper has several contributions: Firstly, under the BRI, the government-enterprise relationship and industrial chain relationship of the host country are important sources of LOF. Secondly, with the development of Chinese companies’ “go global”, the focus of overcoming LOF has gradually shifted from the national level to the industrial level. The key to the transformation of AOF and LOF lies in matching the adequate industry chain network. Finally, the home government support, technology transfer and industrial agglomeration can promote the transformation of LOF into AOF in the industry chain. Therefore, we construct three transformation routes: （1）Multi-agent centralization mode, through which foreigners can use different types of network resources including not only the government, shareholders, industrial partners in the home country, but also the subjects of local network in the host country, to obtain higher network status in a situation where foreigners can afford a high level of LOF.（2）Foreignness centralization mode, in which foreigners can establish a self-centered industrial chain network, occupying an intermediary role in the flows of information and resources in the case that they can dominate the allocation of network resources.（3）Industrial centralization mode, in which foreign companies can build network with a few industrial partners through the scale advantage of industrial clusters under the case of relatively scarce network resources. The conclusions of this paper have positive implications for the promotion of high-quality development of BRI and Chinese private companies to “go global”.

Inclusive public open space for all: Spatial justice with health considerations

Public open space (POS) is often regarded as a necessity that is meant to be enjoyed by everyone, especially as we move toward a post-pandemic society. It is considered one of the most crucial public health assets that contribute tremendously to people's physical, social, and psychological wellbeing. While obliging private development projects to provide POS has become a common policy for optimizing land use, some critiques regard Public Open Space in Private Developments (POSPD) as over-controlled and exclusive spaces, which raise justice concerns about people's equal rights towards POS as health resources. However, little is known about the degree to which spatial justice can be created in POSPD. With the urban population becoming more diverse, investigating POSPD's actual spatial justice situation under a robust framework to ensure access for all is timely and vital. Through the lens of spatial justice, we first examined the current dominant critiques of POSPD based on a comprehensive literature review. Using Hong Kong as a case study, we then conducted a questionnaire survey on the spatial justice performance of three representative POSPD sites and also introduced Bayesian Network as a graphical probabilistic model to illustrate the mutual relationships among key variables. The results have identified the most sensitive issues (e.g., safety, affordability and diversity), contributing to spatial justice performance and indicated that inclusive POS requires a secure, affordable environment that supports diverse activity for everyone. The findings will guide decision-makers to put the appropriate emphasis on creating and protecting inclusive POSPD in the wake of the pandemic.

A win-win situation? Urban regeneration and the paradox of homeowner displacement

This paper examines urban regeneration outcomes for homeowners through a mixed-methods analysis of population change in six redevelopment sites. Israel's national urban regeneration policy presents itself as a ‘win-win’ mechanism, claiming that it mitigates displacement. This claim is tested and discussed through the theoretical lens of state-led gentrification and displacement. The Israeli program relies on contractual agreements between private homeowners and developers and provides homeowners with newly built high-rise condominium units. Consequently, homeowners can choose how to capitalize on their new property – whether to inhabit, let or sell. We argue that their choice reflects the preferences and varied capabilities of owners. While homeowners are relatively protected from direct displacement, the variance in owner capabilities may lead to economic pressures that chiefly impact vulnerable low-income owners. We suggest that the Israeli model of sharing the benefits from housing commodification glosses over the capability gap and frames potential displacement pressures as market choice features.

Sydney Post-war Metropolitan Planning: The Rise and Fall of the Satellite Town as a Spatial Imaginary

ABSTRACT Taming metropolitan expansion by developing satellite towns was conventional wisdom by the mid-twentieth century, but Sydney’s early attempts highlight the disjuncture between theory and practice. Viewed through the theoretical lens of the spatial imaginary, longer term metropolitan planning was problematised and tested through inadequate governance, flawed population projections, and aggressive public and private sector developers. Archival records permit a detailed account of the challenges faced into the post-war period. While Sydney failed to emulate the satellite town achievements of other capital cities, the lessons learned helped establish foundations for more effective planning in a new era from the late 1960s guided by a revised imaginary of the ideal metropolis.

Development institutions of the Russian Far East and Asia‐Pacific countries: Goals, instruments, and results in comparative perspective

AbstractThe major innovation of the Far Eastern policy of Russia in the 2010s—the introduction of the macroregional system of development institutions—is studied today mainly as an intra‐Russian and economic phenomenon. In this article, we place studied development institutions in a wider social and international context. Identifying the origin, strategic goals, preferential instruments, and the results of functioning of the development institutions system of the Russian Far East, we compare it with analogous systems in Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Singapore, and India. The article concludes that there is an objectively conditioned typological proximity of the development institutions system of the Russian Far East with similar systems in China and Vietnam. We emphasize that this proximity is based on the similarity of the problems of the macroregion and the named countries, and, consequently, the goals of their development policies. On this basis, we recommend to increase the number of territorial development institutions in this macroregion of Russia, decentralize the regulation of Advanced Development Territories and Vladivostok Free Port, and involve private developers in the management of these institutuions.

ЎЗБЕКИСТОНДА КИЧИК БИЗНЕС ВА ХУСУСИЙ ТАДБИРКОРЛИКНИ РИВОЖЛАНТИРИШ ИСТИҚБОЛЛАРИ

This article covers the development of small business and private entrepreneurship, as well as scientific views on entrepreneurship. At the same time, the reforms carried out by the government in the development of entrepreneurship are highlighted. As a result of the analysis, conclusions were drawn on the further development of small business and private entrepreneurship.Keywords: small business entities, entrepreneur, business, export, import, vacancy.

Shaking it up: The realities of ‘doing’ co-innovation in a privatised agricultural advisory and extension system

Pluralistic agricultural advisory systems comprise diverse actors, including public and private research, development, and extension (RD&E) providers, and private sector agricultural advisors. Co-innovation, as a collaborative engagement involving the full range of actors, is regarded as useful when addressing issues arising from this complexity. However, what helps or hinders successful co-innovation with public and private actors in real-world situations is still under-described in the literature. A deeper understanding of the social interactions and practices of doing co-innovation in specific settings is required to achieve successful co-innovation outcomes. This paper asks: What key features of practice support co-innovation with public and private system actors? And: How can enhanced understanding of practice assist in strengthening co-innovation processes? We present findings from research funded by the Australian government from 2015 to 2018 to strengthen private sector extension roles and connections between the RD&E functions in Australia's pluralistic advisory system. Four action research pilots were co-designed with system actors to support co-innovation. These were: Involving agricultural supply chain actors in collaborative agricultural R&D; Increasing farm advisor capacity to engage with digital agricultural technologies; Improving career pathways for new entrants in the advisory and extension sector; and Improving knowledge flows in the advisory and extension system. We found that co-innovation requires potentially profound social change; a shaking up of expectations about roles, responsibilities, and institutionalised processes. The research also suggests that the requirement for social change is underacknowledged in current co-innovation practice, with implications for the success or failure of co-innovation partnerships. Applying a practice theory perspective, our research highlights features of practice that constrained and enabled co-innovation in the four pilots. In doing so, the research provides insights to assist in successful operationalisation of co-innovation involving the private sector in pluralistic agricultural advisory systems.

The rise and fall of government support for small‐scale voluntary development organizations—and their remarkable resilience

AbstractMotivationThe aid architecture for international development has undergone significant change in recent years, but it remains unclear how the established order has responded to the emergence of new actors in this field.PurposeThe article closely analyses the entry of small‐scale, voluntary development organizations to gain a better understanding of the changing aid architecture.Methods and approachThrough extensive policy tracing over a 15‐year period, combined with analysis of primary, longitudinal data, we study how private development initiatives (PDIs) have been received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and established development organizations in the Netherlands. We focus on the type of support provided to PDIs and the (changing) rationale underlying this support.FindingsAfter many years of generous support, PDIs are no longer part of the Dutch policy agenda as a result of vanishing attention to the rationale of public support. The professionalization agenda underlying both the financial and non‐financial support provided to PDIs also prompted these organizations to move away from the traditional order. PDIs successfully sought alternative allies, surviving as actors in their own right. These two developments have resulted in mutual disengagement between the established order and PDIs, with increasingly less co‐operation and interaction.Policy implicationsPDIs have not been genuinely included in the traditional development order in the Netherlands, making it questionable whether their emergence contributed to a more plural community as envisaged by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the turn of the century. To make use of the value of actively involved citizens, policy‐makers will have to set up appropriate frameworks that recognize and preserve the distinctive nature of these organizations and, in so doing, capitalize on the comparative advantages of PDIs.

Exploring views on design and service factors for improving housing development green space quality in Taiwan

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to learn views from design teams, housing developers and users for housing development green space quality that could best enhance occupant well-being and real-estate value addition. Through literature review, 26 landscape design and service factors were identified and tested via a questionnaire survey conducted in Taiwan. Participants (N = 380) evaluated the importance level of the proposed factors with five-point Likert scale. Friedman Ranking Test and Kruskal-Wallis Test were used to analyse data. The results showed that ease of maintenance, regulation compliance and energy saving were the top factors for all participants. These are the economic advantage, bidder characteristics and environmental awareness concerns. Life cycle design and water retention and detention factors were evaluated as the critical factors from the potential housing developer and buyers. Green infrastructure connection and neighbourhood connection were ranked as very important factors for landscape architects. Landscape architects to practice with license and use LIM/BIM in project was particularly expected by the potential housing buyers with high importance level. The preliminary findings of this research can assist public housing agency and private developers for policy and decision making effectively in future housing development green space projects.

Assessment of residential housing choices, quality, and affordability in Calabar Metropolis, Southern Nigeria

Purpose of the study: This paper examined the housing quality, its affordability as well as the housing choices which residents of Calabar can make. Housing needs in the city continue to rise in response to rapid urbanization rates and thus lead to high housing demands. Methodology: About 384 questionnaires were distributed randomly within six purposively delineated housing districts in Calabar with a 78 percent success rate. The stratification covered all the housing types, from the low to medium and the high classes. The coordinates of respondents were also collected for spatial analyses in which the inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation method was used to create housing choice maps in the identified districts of the city. The Chi-square statistics were used to test the statistical significance of the created contingency tables. Main Findings: Significant relationship exist between housing affordability and housing quality ((f) = 11.463, p-value = 0.022 (p < 0.05)), and between average monthly income and expenditure on rented residential housing in Calabar ((f) = 539.473, p-value = 0.000 (p < 0.05)). Housing in the metropolis is not affordable to about 80% of residents who expend more than 30% of their income on housing. Applications of this study: This study helps shape the policy direction of government in housing provision and such, encourage private developers in the sector. Novelty/Originality of this study: Previous studies only addressed housing cost and provision, not a choice, quality, and affordability. This is the first study to address residential housing choices, quality, and affordability in the Calabar metropolis, involving a cross-sectional survey questionnaire. The results will be helpful to developers, homebuyers, and policymakers alike towards affordable housing delivery in Calabar and others. African cities.

Interaction between social enterprises and key actors shaping the field: experiences from the social and health sectors in Hungary

PurposeIn Hungary, as in other Central and Eastern European countries, the concept of social enterprise (SE) has attracted increased attention in recent years, with certain key actors shaping the organisational field. This growing interest is largely because of the availability of European Union funds focussing on the work integration of disadvantaged groups but ignoring other possible roles of SEs. This study aims to consider a seldom examined and underfunded area: SEs’ institutional environment and organisational activities in the social and health sectors.Design/methodology/approachBased on neoinstitutional theory, the paper uses desk research and qualitative case studies. It presents the experiences of SEs providing social and health services for specific disadvantaged groups.FindingsThis paper identified the key actors influencing the everyday operation of SEs and examined their connections, interactions and partnerships. Based on the findings, SEs primarily depend on the central state, public social and health institutions and local governments. At the same time, their connections with private customers, networks, development and support organisations, third sector organisations and for-profit enterprises are less significant. The key actors have a relevant impact on the legal form, main activities and the financial and human resources of SEs. SEs, however, have little influence on their institutional environment.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to understanding the opportunities and barriers of SEs in Hungary and, more generally, in Central and Eastern Europe, especially regarding their place in social and health services.

The Differential Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Small-Scale Development Initiatives, a Cross-Country Comparison

The COVID-19 pandemic presents Northern-based development organisations with unprecedented difficulties. They are challenged in fundraising opportunities in their home countries and in finding ways to continue their work in the Global South. As the first study to present a systematic mixed method, cross-country study of small-scale, voluntary development organisations in four different European countries, this study provides insight into the role of these private development initiatives (PDIs) in the COVID-19 crisis and sheds light on the differential impact of the crisis on these organisations. Whereas most PDIs are involved in long(er)-term development interventions, the COVID-19 crisis was for most organisations their first experience of emergency aid. Overall, we see strong resilience among PDIs and also find that the organisations which relied more exclusively on traditional methods of fundraising (offline) received a greater funding hit than organisations—often with more younger members—that had already moved to online fundraising.

Rational pricing responses of developers to supply shocks: Evidence from Singapore

Singapore's government imposed a new transaction tax in the form of an Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) on developers who fail to sell all units within 5 years for projects that commenced after 2011. We find significant evidence that the ABSD shock triggers rational responses by private developers, who cut prices to clear unsold housing units. Developers of the ABSD-affected projects strategically cut prices by 2.8% to sell units in year 5 relative to other projects that are not subject to the ABSD. We also find that the treatment effects come mostly from three groups of developers, which include large developers, small project developers and local developers. Liquidity constraints and differential reference points are two potential channels that drive the differential price cutting responses of developers to the policy shock in the housing market.

Housing Insecurity in Binghamton

Housing is vital to the protection of individual human life and liberty, yet so many Americans find themselves housing insecure. This study examines housing insecurity in Binghamton, New York, its causes, and potential solutions through the use of interviews and participant observations. Despite the surplus of available housing and low demand, so many Binghamton residents find themselves struggling to afford their rent due to the presence of university students in the city and the profit incentives of landlords. Public housing solutions are the most effective at eliminating these particular issues under the conditions present in Binghamton’s circumstances, suggesting that the federal and local governments should focus housing policy more on providing housing directly to citizens in need rather than fostering private development.

Land at the Service of the Regional Growth Coalition: Projects of Special Interest in the Region of Castilla–La Mancha (Spain)

Neoliberal urbanism land planning has led to the development of public–private coalitions associating common interest with lucrative private enterprise projects. In Castilla–La Mancha (Spain), this regional growth coalition was backed by a spatial planning instrument, known as Projects of Special Interest (PSI). The aim of this article is to analyse the PSI as a paradigmatic example, to study its key points and examine its current dimensions. This case study employs a review of the literature, desk research, content analysis, interviews and observation. The PSI scheme has permitted private initiatives and developments, and privately used public constructions of many different types, reducing timeframes through possible recourse to expropriation, using basic measures of land reclassification, undervaluing the ecosystems involved and even facilitating construction in areas that had previously been declared protected, or where resources such as water are not guaranteed. Despite the failure of many of these projects and the expected economic growth not being realised, the instrument has been revived, as it is directly linked to multinational enterprises investing in the region.

A digital approach to quantifying political vulnerability of protected areas

Protected areas (PAs) are often seen as opportunity costs and are therefore vulnerable to political decisions that open them up to public or private development initiatives. We reasoned that, ceteris paribus, PAs with high levels of public support should be more resilient to such decisions because; i) politicians in democratic societies are reluctant to make unpopular/controversial decisions that go against public opinion, and; ii) the proposed development of popular PAs is more likely to be met by vigorous resistance (‘push-back’) from NGOs and other societal actors. Nevertheless, public interest and, by extension, support for protected areas has rarely been considered in PA risk assessments. Here, we propose an innovative approach to assessing the political vulnerability of PAs that combines indices of developmental pressures (from the DOPA database) with an innovative culturomic-derived metric of public interest based on Wikipedia page views. Using automated methods, we quantify the political vulnerability status of 523 Brazilian PAs. Our analysis reveals a large number of PAs that may be politically vulnerable, being characterized by a combination of high developmental pressure and low/very low levels of public interest. For such PAs, we recommend managers take measures to increase public interest to ensure a healthy base of public support in the future. We conclude that digital metrics of public interest are simply and inexpensively generated, and could be easily incorporated into the existing assessment systems for protected areas.

An investigation into the investment potential of purpose-built student accommodation in Sydney

PurposeHigher education is now one of the biggest export sectors in the Australian economy. Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) has emerged as a new asset class in Australia, as demanded by international and domestic students. As of 25 October 2020, there were still approximately 400,000 onshore international students and 135,000 offshore students despite the COVID pandemic. Various universities remain optimistic about their returns to Australia. Active PBSA investors remain focussed on the longer-term fundamentals and return of the Australian student market. This study aims to examine the investment potential of the PBSA sector in Sydney.Design/methodology/approachThe triangulation method was used to confirm whether the literature findings on the high potential of PBSA investment apply to the context of the Sydney market. Qualitative expert interviews with two directors of major international real estate consulting firms, one private family trust investor and one director of a development company, were conducted in tandem with a qualitative multiple-case study of three major PBSAs via interviews with their building managers. These selected participants broadly covered the stakeholder settings across the industry.FindingsA positive and solid trend of demand and rental growth was confirmed by the expert interviews and the performance of PBSA cases in Sydney, as supported by the growing number of international students in the longer term. To enhance the rental growth, and hence total returns, self-contained studio-type accommodation with quality facilities and social support should be provided, and operators should consistently track the needs of students and provide them with a better living experience.Research limitations/implicationsPBSA is a new asset class and there have been limited supply and sale transactions to enable detailed examination of the capital growth, so this research has focussed on rental growth. When the PBSA market becomes more mature, further research should be conducted to analyse the strength of this emerging investment’s capital growth and total returns.Practical implicationsIn the longer term, PBSA is a low-risk property investment with potentially high returns in Sydney. Institutional investors and real estate consultants can make informed decisions to build up the property portfolio. PBSA is capital-intensive and has low liquidity, so this type of investment is particularly suitable for institutional investors.Social implicationsUniversities should provide more suitable PBSA accommodations by themselves or partnerships with private developers. Planning authorities should include more PBSA residential uses in the land zoning plan. This is to provide more affordable accommodations to meet the demand of cost-sensitive students.Originality/valueThis research confirms PBSA is a low-risk investment with potentially high returns within the context of the Sydney market. The findings will benefit the major stakeholders of PBSA in their investment decisions, including investors, developers and universities.