SOCIAL QUALITY IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT Experiences from The Hague Harry Nijhuis Municipality / University of Leiden

The Argument ► The Hague: characteristics and scheme social dynamics ► Social Quality: relevant highlights ► Experience with SQ in an urban practice of public health ► Other experiences in urban development ► Conclusions

Social dynamics in urban devolopment (worlds) Agora world of daily life world of daily life holistic urban vision holistic urban vision PoliteiaForum political system urban practicesservice prov municipality1, 2, 3organisations political admini-companies strative institutions Research & Development Research & Development University (MUS) University (MUS) Social quality Approach

The quality of social dynamics in urban development ► Agora : social erosion, disconnected from forum agents and local politics (local democracy) ► Forum : fragmented, disconnected from daily life and local politics (autonomy / market) ► Politeia : disconnected from agora and forum (legitimacy) ► University : fragmented, disconnected from practice (Consistent with individualist / economic orientations of neo liberal paradigm)

Relevant highlights of SQ theory ► Ontology: man is a social being  correcting neo liberal dominance ► Basic orientation: quality of daily life  as normatively valued outcome of dialectic processes of personal and conditional factors ► Comprehensive scheme: integrating  Encompassing subjective, objective and normative aspects of the reproduction of daily life

The social reproduction of quality of daily life subjectiveobjectivenormative constitutionalconditionalnormative (processes)(opportunities)(outcomes) personal capacitysocial empowermenthuman dignity social recognitionsocial cohesionsolidarity personal securitysocio econ securitysocial justice social responsivenesssocial inclusiondemocratic based citizenship

Transformation of an urban practice of public health (phc centre) ► Basic motive (urban development):  transformation from curing problems towards reinforcing capacities ► ‘Big Move’ program (social / physical processes):  orientation / addressing: 1 curing caring preventing disease 2 quality aspects of daily life ► Results:  self esteem / control; social initiative  efficiency: utilization care

Significance of SQ in urban practice (1) ► Heuristic scheme: rational and concepts ► ‘Big Move’: conditional factor for:  Social economic security  Social empowerment  Social cohesion ► New comprehension and communication:  Self reflection (development)  Others (finance / dissemination) ► SQ: change tool (orientation daily life / connecting) ► Strategy: Introduced inductively (incrementally)

Significance of SQ in urban practice (2) Comprehension of distinct professional qualities: ► ‘Medical quality’:  (technical) competence to cure, care and eliminate risk as attributes of people (on people) but also ► ‘Social quality’:  (social) competence to stimulate / create conditions to work on social quality of peoples daily lives (with people)

Significance of SQ in dialoque Forum (3) ► Forum agents: no vision, no dialogue (market)no coherent strategies ► SQ employed in interviews directors:  Shared comprehensions and orientations (daily life)  Acting as collective (local politics): connecting ► Strategy: changed from deductive to inductive

Significance of SQ in transformation Politeia (4) ► 2 Vision documents Urban Development:  Separate (no coherence), no rational, conceptually inconsistent, no definition modern responsibilities ► SQ employed for interpretation:  New policy document (based on notions of SQ and governance)  Operational change tool for transformation bureaucracy ► Strategy: inductive

Significance of SQ in University (5) ► Research and theory development:  Fragmented  Disconnected from practice ► SQ introduced as comprehensive / integrating scheme:  Hesitations to adopt SQ  Perceived as threath (interests): no scientific arguments ► Strategy:  From deductive to inductive (eg through urban practices R&D)

Conclusions: ► Need new approaches of urban development: integrating & addressing social quality of daily life ► Need for comprehensive heuristic scheme (change tool / scientific tool) ► SQ more then interesting candidate ► The Hague experience with SQ: interesting potential as a tool for social change ► Introduction: inductive route ► SQ significance for research to be further elaborated (experiences The Hague not based on scientific reasoning)