Urban redevelopment, by definition, is the process where an urban neighborhood or area is improved and rehabilitated. The renewal process can include demolishing old or run-down buildings, constructing new, up-to-date housing, or adding in features like a theater or stadium. Amid this process, mainly four types of stakeholders can be identified: government authority, developers, local residents and the general public. These are all relevant to urban redevelopment because their duties and benefits are involved, yet their demands are different, or even opposite. Various policies should be carried out to deal with them. First and foremost, government authority is responsible for planning the city and balancing the interests of all stakeholders. The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has its duties to, for example, take care of the urban problems, urban design, and plan the usage of lands. It is responsible for building a quality city, in short. Also, one of the jobs of the government is to balance the interest between various stakeholders. During the process of urban redevelopment, interest of stakeholders is surely affected. Conflicts may even arise. In the case, the government, which is neutral in stance, should mediate between parties, ensuring each party’s welfare is taken care of. This is how the government, as one of the important stakeholders in urban redevelopment, should do. Secondly, the government should carefully examine the proposals brought up by developers and oversee the process. When a developer hand in a redevelopment project, the relative authority, again as neutral in stance, consider all the possible effects of the project. Whether it is beneficial to related individuals and the society as a whole, and not only economically, but also environmentally and socially. The government should also build a platform for the general public to discuss these matters because urban redevelopment is concerning every citizen. And after a proposal is passed, the government still has to inspect the whole project. Disputes or violation can then be avoided. To developers, the government should maintain its nature of neutrality, making sure each redevelopment project is good for the society as a whole, not only for the business sector. As for local residents, the government should listen and protect their needs and rights. Local residents refer to those who originally live in the area of redevelopment. They are, very often, ordinary citizens who do not possess much power. However, urban redevelopment brings great impacts to their lives. So their voices have to be listened, and their demands have to be justifiably answered. The government should make sure their voices are heard and negotiate with the developers, getting reasonable compensation. It has the duty to protect its people from being exploited their rights. Only the government can gather all the opinions and then make response to the developers. Hence, the government should be some kind of “protector” of local residents. Lastly, views of the general public should also be taken into account when planning urban redevelopment. The city belongs to every single citizens. Each of them should be granted with the right to say what kind of city they want to live in. So, besides the developers and local residents, the government should also gather opinions of the general public about the matter. Only afterwards can the government make the “best” decision. In short, the government should accept different kinds of voices in the society. I believe that there are many more stakeholders when talking about urban redevelopment. Yet, in a broad sense, government authority, developers, local residents and the general public are the most relevant ones. All in all, the government should keep its neutral stance. Theoretically, only the government can focus on the interest of the society as a whole, rather than of a single individual or organization. Only by then can the best plan for the city be carried out. Reference List: businessdictionary/definition/urban-renewal.html ura.org.hk/en/about-ura/our-commitment.aspx (SID: 2163)
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 15:36:48 +0000
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