Ferreira Bento, JMD; (2017) Architecture as Public Policy. The Role and Effectiveness of National Architectural Policies in the European Union: the cases of Ireland, Scotland and The Netherlands. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Since the beginning of the 1990s, a growing number of European countries have been developing national policies on Architecture. Reflecting the wide diversity of cultures across the EU, some member states have adopted comprehensive policies setting up a wide range of initiatives while others have approved national legislation addressed to clients and stakeholders or created cultural institutions. Despite their differences, all the approaches share the will to promote well-designed living environments. Hosting these concerns, the EU Council adopted a Resolution on Architectural Quality in 2001, encouraging the member states to promote architecture and urban design as a way to achieve high-quality environments. However, some member states remain sceptical and even suspicious about the effectiveness of a formal policy on Architecture and prefer not to follow this trend without further evidence. In the face of this phenomenon, it is relevant to clarify the role of a national Architectural policy and if it really enhances the role of the state in promoting better places. Following an inductive research strategy, the main objective of this research is to improve the understanding of the role and effectiveness of national Architecture policies in processes of design governance. The research will start by examining to what extent the adoption of formal Architecture policies by the member states has been influenced by an Europeanization process. Then it will explore the comprehensive Architecture policies discourse to uncover the main values and ideas that underlie a formal policy in this domain. Finally, this research will seek to evaluate the effectiveness of a formal Architecture policy through a comparative analysis of current practices among three EU member states: Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. In sum, this research is a theorization of Architecture as public policy, a methodology for the study of this phenomenon and a comparative study of national Architecture policies.

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