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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Eur. j. cult. manag. policy

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/ejcmp.2025.14016

This article is part of the Special Issue Cultural Entrepreneurship and Cultural Initiatives Challenges in a New Context View all 3 articles

Does Network Governance Really Work? Evidence from Cross-National Comparative Research on Urban Regeneration in Belgrade and Amsterdam

  • HafenCity University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This comparative case study examines the transformation of the former industrial neighborhoods Savamala (Belgrade) and NDSM Wharf (Amsterdam), located on riverfronts. Using network theoretical and empirical approaches, the research focuses on governance differences, policy implementation, and the effectiveness of governance modes. It analyzes urban policy formation, stakeholder involvement, decision-making, and network dynamics, applying policy network theory to explore social and structural contexts influencing policy outcomes. The study identifies contrasting governance modes: in Savamala, a fragmented-governed network is observed in the initial phase and hierarchy in the second phase, while NDSM Wharf demonstrates consistent network governance across both phases. Network governance proves more effective, especially in contexts supporting its structure, while hierarchy exhibits limited effectiveness, and fragmented networks, despite some successes, lack long-term stability. The findings underscore the importance of network governance in regenerating former industrial riverfronts, emphasizing inclusive and stable governance for sustainable outcomes.

    Keywords: urban regeneration, urban development, creative fields, network governance, network theory

    Received: 31 Oct 2024; Accepted: 17 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Dragana. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Kostica Dragana, HafenCity University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.