The 4th P - people - in urban development based on Public-Private-People Partnership

Abstract

The topic and the scope of this dissertation is the inclusion of the end-users' perspective into Public-Private Partnership (PPP) based urban development processes. The examined and developed 4P-based urban development process is by its nature a strategic Public-Private-People Partnership (4P) of local government and public land owners (Public), developers and private land owners (Private), and end-users (People) for good living environment and separate customer relationships. The empirical study is based on communicative planning theory and on a theory of rational consumers. Also a residential choice and an innovation theory - where end-users are the primary stakeholders in the innovation process - are discussed in this study. The qualitative study includes two levels of PPP-based urban development process. A general level of urban development process in its early stages - planning and design - and a more detailed level - purchasing process of PPP-based real estate service delivery projects. The research methods used in this study are multiple case study and action research. The dissertation found that the inclusion of the end-users' perspective in the PPP-based, or, more likely, in the 4P-based urban development processes is both possible and rewarding. The results show that it is possible to identify and categorise the end-users' perspective in a more detailed level of PPP-based urban development process, i.e. in a real estate service delivery, and to transfer the knowledge to the general level of PPP-based urban development process. It is also argued that the developed 4P-based urban development process increases the participation of the potential end-users, and creates a new kind of end-user orientated knowledge for the process. Engaging the end-users in development processes opens previously unseen potential for including consumerist possibilities for cities and developers. In this context, the 4P-based urban development process has created possibilities for engaging new pro-active and positive participation methods and solutions, not only for the early stages of urban development process (planning and design), but also for construction, operation and management of local economic and social infrastructure. The more concrete practical value and implication of this dissertation is the developed framework to include end-users' perspective into purchasing process of 4P-based real estate service delivery projects.