The central research question in this study is: Which meaning is given to sustainability within a Dutch housing association and does making sense of the concept of sustainability lead to sustainable strategic choices? The chosen research strategy is a longitudinal case study in the Dutch housing association Welbions. Data was collected in three periods between 2009 and 2018. Welbions associates sustainability mainly with the financial position, costs and affordability, and interprets the concept as investment measures in energy savings, reducing the usage of gas and CO2-emissions which are aimed at in covenants. From the listed factors influencing strategic decision-making, the economic, technical and personal frames appeared to be used mostly. The organizational and ethical frame were used only once, and the aesthetic frame was not used at all. Noteworthy is that ecological developments were not mentioned. Frames derived from the decision criteria showed a dominating economic frame. Making sense of sustainability does not result in sustainability-based actions, or choice. This indicates that sustainable values have not gained a position in strategic decision-making, compared to traditional values such as cost-efficiency and affordability.
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In the Netherlands, there is a growing need for collective housing for older people to bridge the gap between ageing-in-place and institutional care facilities. Participation of older people in the concept and design phases is important to tune the market supply to the needs of (future) residents, yet social entrepreneurs find it challenging to involve older people. This commentary explores various ways older people can participate in the development of new housing initiatives. The ladder of citizen participation is applied to explore different roles that (future) residents could play with levels of influence varying from non-participation to citizen power. Considerations for meaningful participation are discussed, in order to show how collaborations can be formed between (future) residents and decision makers. Original article at: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9030301 © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI.
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From the article: "Abstract Maintenance processes of Dutch housing associations are often still organized in a traditional manner. Contracts are based on lowest price instead of ‘best quality for lowest price’ considering users’ demands. Dutch housing associations acknowledge the need to improve their maintenance processes in order to lower maintenance cost, but are not sure how. In this research, this problem is addressed by investigating different supply chain partnering principles and the role of information management. The main question is “How can the organisation of maintenance processes of Dutch housing associations, in different supply chain partnering principles and the related information management, be improved?” The answer is sought through case study research."
