Publicly owned, privately used; Privatisation of public space: A case study of sidewalk cafes at Faberplein, Nijmegen

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying measures, cafes around Faberplein are temporarily allowed to expand their sidewalk cafes. Therefore, public space is used by private parties. However, not everyone is equally happy with these expansions and this leads to discussions. Restaurant owners see it as an asset, while some local residents indicate that the sidewalk cafes have an impact on their living environment. In this thesis, the expansions of the sidewalk cafes are approached as a form of privatisation of public space. The various sides of the discussion about this form of privatisation are examined on the basis of the following research question: ‘In what way does privatisation of the public space affect the liveability of Faberplein?’. Using qualitative methods, data was collected to answer the research question. The results provide a broad understanding of the case. The interviews and the policy analyses show that the aspects used to analyse the influence of privatisation influence various aspects of liveability of Faberplein. This research also shows that the various aspects are closely connected, which makes this a complex topic.