Contractual arrangements and entrepreneurial governance: Flexibility and leeway in urban regeneration projects

Urban regeneration projects involve complex contractual deals between public- and private-sector actors. Critics contend that contracts hamper opportunities for flexibility and change in these projects due to strict provisions that are incorporated in legal agreements. This article offers contrary empirical insights based on a study of contractual arrangements for urban regeneration projects in the Netherlands, including an analysis of interviews and confidential documents. It zooms in on provisions on safeguarding and adaptation, finding that urban regeneration projects remain receptive to flexibility and change. Public-sector actors use their room to manoeuvre while operating contracts, seeking to secure social relations and keep projects going. This article taps into data sources that are difficult to access, addressing what is included in contracts and how they are used by practitioners, and presents questions for future research on contracts in the urban built environment.