University of Twente Student Theses
How uncertainties impact municipal decision-making processes about urban quay walls: An Amsterdam case study
Bejarano Macias, MSc D. (2024) How uncertainties impact municipal decision-making processes about urban quay walls: An Amsterdam case study.
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| Abstract: | Amsterdam's extensive network of canals, comprising 1,800 bridges and 600 kilometres of quay walls, plays a vital role in the city's infrastructure and heritage. However, many of these structures require renovation due to their lifespan, increased traffic, and evolving city conditions. To address these issues, the municipality launched the “Programma Bruggen en Kademuren (PBK)” in 2019, focusing on the safety and renovation of 830 bridges and 200 kilometres of quay walls. This study identifies the municipality's challenges in renovating these structures through the PBK, particularly when implementing interventions for quay walls in poor structural conditions. The complexity of these quay walls introduces various uncertainties that impact the decision-making process of determining such interventions and affect interactions between the municipality and the users of the quay walls. Therefore, the research explores the uncertainties surrounding the decision-making process for interventions on urban quay walls in Amsterdam. It focuses on their impact on risk management and stakeholder participation, especially the communication of risks and the interactions between asset users and the asset owner. The research adopts a case study approach, analysing the Waalseilandsgracht canal in Amsterdam's city centre, where interventions on the Binnenkant and Oude Waal quay walls led to conflicts between the municipality and the users living along the canal. This study examines how incomplete knowledge, unpredictability, and ambiguity affected these interactions in the case study and how the municipality can improve its risk communication and stakeholder engagement. Resulting in the importance of developing a systematic approach for interacting with stakeholders in uncertain scenarios. Data were collected through documents exchanged during the case study and interviews with stakeholders involved in the project. The analysis was structured around three phases of the decision-making process for quay wall interventions: (1) the monitoring phase, when gathering and analysing data; (2) the decision-making phase, when determining the type of interventions needed; and (3) the implementation phase, where interventions are carried out. The study resulted in the effects of incomplete knowledge and unpredictability on assessing the structural condition of quay walls, the effectiveness of interventions, and the users' willingness to support such interventions. The results also reveal the importance of early engagement with stakeholders, effective risk communication through the perception of the experts assessing the risk and those affected by it, and structured stakeholder participation that includes flexibility to adapt to uncertain scenarios. In conclusion, the study emphasises the need to avoid ambiguity between asset owners and users during decision-making processes for quay wall interventions. It proposes a three-step flexible approach for interacting with asset users, showing the importance of taking into consideration the input of the stakeholders and the early and ongoing stakeholder participation, particularly in urban projects. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | Gemeente Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Faculty: | ET: Engineering Technology |
| Subject: | 56 civil engineering |
| Programme: | Civil Engineering and Management MSc (60026) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/103284 |
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