Intensifying Building Use: How the Cities of Amsterdam and Malmö Enable the Sharing of Spaces

Abstract: In the building industry, circular economy has gained much attention in recent years, yet thus far, little research has been conducted on the topic of intensified building use, despite the great potential this strategy offers in terms of emission reduction. One way of intensifying building use can be through the sharing of spaces among different users at different times. This thesis explores how municipalities can enable such space sharing and identifies relevant barriers, taking the cities of Amsterdam and Malmö as case studies. It finds that the municipalities are enabling space sharing either as a third party by subsidising, mediating, and leveraging the land allocation process, or as a space owner. Further, the municipalities enable space sharing at two stages: through the provision of a space, or through the operation of the sharing. Two levels of barriers are identified: first level barriers, which render space sharing as such difficult, such as user compatibility, safety, and liability concerns, and resulting organisational and financial cost. Then, second level barriers, which render it difficult for the municipalities to enable space sharing, such as lack of appropriate instruments, concerns of preferential treatment, the municipal ownership structure of buildings, and lack of knowledge and experience. The following internal and external contextual factors are identified as relevant, albeit to varying degrees: the administrative structure of the municipality (centralised versus decentralised), the priority areas of the municipality, the budget of the municipality, space scarcity, the presence of a private and civil society sector engaging in space sharing, and cultural attitudes towards space sharing. Finally, the themes of reluctance to sharing, risk aversion, a lack of awareness of the environmental cost of space inefficiency, and inflexible understanding of space as a resource, as well as their implications for space sharing are discussed.