There is 'us' in trust: a study about the role of trust in Dutch urban land readjustment processes

Abstract

This thesis explores how stakeholders form trust relationships and cooperate in Dutch urban land readjustment processes. The purpose is to understand how trust between stakeholders is developed and collective action is undertaken (1) and the influence of interpersonal-, institutional- and procedural trust on the different phases of an urban land readjustment (2). A research about the social- and behavioral side of Dutch urban land readjustment processes contributes to a research field in which the legal- and financial perspective prevail. It also offers insights about solving spatial questions in a bottom-up way and which circumstances positively as well as negatively influence an urban land readjustment in the face of local issues. An in-depth comparative case study is conducted for the cases of Bodegraven and Helmond Induma-West. It is concluded that interpersonal-, institutional- and procedural trust play a role in uniting stakeholders and fostering cooperation. Different types of trust overlap in the interaction between stakeholders, but interpersonal trust relationships prevail. Furthermore, urban land readjustment processes can be seen as path dependent with branching patterns of historical development, critical junctures and increasing returns that foster different kinds of cooperation. This research confirms the finding by Li et al. (2018) that trust and risk aversion are characteristic of the Dutch planning culture. Making trust explicitly part of the process, giving incentives, and paying attention to the local culture of a place are practical recommendations that result from this research.