Urban Stakeholders Research Articles

The city in the information and communication technology age: a comparative study on path dependency

The role of the city in the modern electronic age is rapidly changing. Cities are no longer closed islands of local opportunities, but are open nodal points in a global network environment. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has lifted the traditional physical-geographical constraints which kept cities imprisoned from the early genesis of modern cities. More openness means also more actors in the global economic playing field, so that cities tend to become increasingly competitors of each other. They compete on location factors; the relative importance of these factors to enterprises and households is altered by information and communication technology. In the competitive game between cities, both changed and enforced by this shift of location factor importance, success is determined by the adjustment potential, the flexibility and resilience of several urban stakeholders. The paper analyses the causes and implications of urban path dependence and tries to offer an analytical framework through which actual developments in various cities can systematically be mapped out. The paper proceeds then - by way of a comparative contrast analysis - with an empirical investigation of two dynamic cities, Berlin and Amsterdam. Based on extensive fieldwork, an attempt is finally made to offer clear policy conclusions and recommendations for urban unemployment policy.

A systemic approach on rising complexities in urban environments

The paper highlights the need for an integrated approach in urban sciences. Overall, economical, political, societal, and many more issues have to be dealt with in the urban decision processes. It is evident to handle both, various influential factors and the interrelations between these factors. Urban stakeholders politicians, city planners, managers, institutions/organisations are especially affected by these conditions. Appropriate methods and tools would support urban stakeholders in their strategical work. This paper presents the sensitivity analysis as a tool that enables the integration of qualitative and quantitative data, the derivation of alternative scenarios, and the development of consistent and plausible implications. Thus, the sensitivity analysis works like a decision-support-tool, ie. tool findings provide a structured and deeper understanding of system dynamics. Furthermore, the tool enables to recognise (weak) signals in a complex surrounding by means of a relevant set of influential fields and factors. 1 The need for integrated urban management In an urban environment and its constituting mobility system, decisions of today are quite diverse from those that have to be dealt with in the past. Speaking of decisions means to choose and to realise one option from a given number of alternatives that will supposedly lead to the aspired goal. In an urban environment, the sphere of alternatives for urban decision-makers, i.e. politicians, entrepreneurs/managers, city planners, and/or citizens is determined by a significant change. The change in the field of alternatives sets the context of this paper, however, it is more than the mere quantity of alternatives that have to be taken into account, since these have not changed significantly. Moreover, the Urban Transport VI, C.A. Brebbia & L.J. Sucharov (Editors) © 2000 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISBN 1-85312-823-6

Town centre management by co-operation

Abstract The 1990s have witnessed the rapid expansion of the concept of Town Centre Management (TCM). This article considers the extent to which urban stakeholders (particularly retailers and property owners) participate in TCM schemes, drawing on evidence from three towns in Sweden. Perceptions relating to participation, and motives for actual participation (or non-participation) in TCM schemes are analysed using as frameworks models of co-operative behaviour. The problem of “free-riders” is discussed and the article concludes with a typology of co-operative behaviour amongst urban stakeholders and possible strategies for overcoming problems of non-co-operation.

Medical role of first responders in an urban prehospital setting

Almost all North American cities have first responder programs. To date there is no published documentation of the roles first responders play, nor of the frequency and type of interventions they perform. Many urban stakeholders question the utility and safety of routinely dispatching large vehicles emergently to calls that may not require their services. Real world data on first responder interventions will help emergency medical services (EMS) directors and planners determine manpower requirements, assess training needs, and optimize dispatch protocols to reduce the rate of inappropriate "code 3" (lights and siren) responses. Our objectives were to determine how often first responders arrive first on scene, to estimate the time interval between first response and EMS response, and to examine the frequency and type of interventions performed by first responders. In a prospective observational study, trained observers were assigned to fire department first responder (FDFR) units. These observers recorded on-scene times for FDFR and EMS units, and documented the performance of first responder interventions. FDFRs arrived first on scene in 49% of code 3 calls. They performed critical interventions in 18% of calls attended and 36% of calls where they arrived first. Oxygen administration was the most frequent critical intervention, yet occult hypoxemia was common and compliance with oxygen administration protocols was poor. First responders perform critical interventions during a minority of code 3 calls, even when "critical" is defined generously. Many "lights and siren" dispatches are unnecessary. Future research should attempt to identify dispatch criteria that more accurately predict the need for first responder intervention. First responder training and continuous quality improvement (CQI) should focus on interventions that are performed with some regularity, particularly oxygen administration.

Can development communication improve urban management?

This paper is attempting to peg-out the particular role of ‘development support communication’ (DSC) for urban management in developing countries, for the interaction or interface between the public, the private, the non-governmental and the community sectors. The aim of this paper is to advocate to urban managers the inclusion of DSC among their management instruments, and in particular during the preparation and implementation of particular programmes and projects. The point is made that DSC will increase the chances for success of development projects and programmes, and that it will help to improve the relationships of urban stakeholders among each other.

Inside the inner city

The 1990s have witnessed the rapid expansion of the concept of Town Centre Management (TCM). This article considers the extent to which urban stakeholders (particularly retailers and property owners) participate in TCM schemes, drawing on evidence from three towns in Sweden. Perceptions relating to participation, and motives for actual participation (or non-participation) in TCM schemes are analysed using as frameworks models of co-operative behaviour. The problem of “free-riders” is discussed and the article concludes with a typology of co-operative behaviour amongst urban stakeholders and possible strategies for overcoming problems of non-co-operation.