Windows of Opportunity for Urban Renewal. A Case Study in the Netherlands

Abstract

The concern of this paper is urban renewal projects; it investigates how such projects get off the ground. A variety of bodies have examined and devised instruments to tackle the inherent difficulties. “How can cities overcome critical factors in the successful start of urban renewal projects” is the main research question, explored using three supportive questions. An embedded case has been selected to illustrate a successful urban renewal project. Kingdon’s opportunity windows framework provides the theoretical background. The concepts provided in the theory were discussed and operationalized. The core issue is opportunity windows. We explored the occurrence of these concepts and processes in the Hart van Zuid case. We argued that successful projects are an illustration of policy windows of opportunity. Becoming successful in renewal projects entails opening and taking advantage of windows of opportunity. We have pointed out factors that influence the occurrence of opportunity windows in the studied case.