Something old, something new: Path dependence and path creation during the early stage of a project

Abstract

Urban renewal projects involve several public and private stakeholders whose interaction during the project's early stage determines the scope of the project. Prior research has conveyed a somewhat ahistorical view of this early stage, based on the assumption that abundant design options are available to stakeholders. This study of a multi-stakeholder project, focused on the renewal of the commercial center of the historic garden city of Tapiola, seeks to increase understanding of processes of path dependence and path creation during the project's early stage. The findings show how a project and its stakeholders can be locked into a path that is affected by the stakeholders’ shared history. The findings further reveal how external triggering events, emergent stakeholder dynamics, and active individual agency contribute to change in the project's goals, enabling breaking of the shared path and the gradual creation of a new path.