As cities evolve, navigating the complex interplay between social and technical elements is crucial for achieving sustainable urban development. This paper employs a case-study approach and applies Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to understand the sociotechnical complexities of urban transformation, with a specific focus on transport projects at the municipal level. ANT serves as a qualitative analytical framework to investigate the successful restoration of Catharijnesingel in Utrecht. Interviews with ten field experts have provided valuable insights into the transformation process, revealing the underlying paradigms at play. Specifically, we utilized Michel Callon's (1984) concept of translation to analyze how agency is enacted in decision-making processes. By focusing our research on actor-networks related to the theme of sustainable transport, the study has identified five transformation mechanisms involved in removing the 20th-century city highway and restoring the original canal, offering valuable lessons for similar projects in various contexts. This study contributes to the existing ANT literature by presenting a robust framework for analyzing actor-networks in transport infrastructure transformation projects, thereby opening new avenues for future research and practical applications in urban planning.

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In this article, co-authors Johan Ninan, Stewart Clegg, Ashwin Mahalingam, and Shankar Sankaran reflect on their research interests and the inspiration behind their recent article, “Governance Through Trust: Community Engagement in an Australian City Rebuilding Precinct,” found in the Project Management Journal.@en

Infrastructure projects undergo multiple changes throughout their lifecycle, adapting to new mobilities, technologies and environments. We build on the System of Systems (SoS) theoretical concept to understand the implications of such infrastructure transformations, specifically when projects move from a single purpose to hosting multiple functions. Using multiple case studies in Europe, we investigate which functions will likely be added to the original infrastructure and the rationale for adding these functions. Therefore, we expand upon the theoretical concepts of circularity, resilience, and social sustainability, wherein multifunctional infrastructure adapts, renews, and complements existing infrastructure.

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Innovative projects, such as those for flood protection in developing countries, are urgent, stakeholder intense, and need to be carried out even in contexts where sufficient governance frameworks are not in place. This research seeks to understand how innovative projects can be implemented in weak institutional contexts by focusing on managing stakeholders in the single in-depth case study of the implementation of the SLAMDAM innovative project in the Isiolo County in Kenya. Following the analysis of 12 semi-structured interviews with 27 different stakeholders and 7 observations of stakeholder interactions, we answer the following questions: 1) what are the challenges during implementation of the innovation projects in weak-institutional contexts? 2) how are these challenges addressed through strategies? 3) how can we theorize the relationship between challenges and strategies in weak institutional contexts? The challenges include community resistance, information fragmentation, disjoined efforts, and governance inefficiency. Theoretically, we highlight how ad-hoc workarounds are operationalized in weak-institutional contexts and how they can lead to lasting changes by building governance frameworks in the long term. Practically, this research offer valuable guidance for practitioners involved in innovative projects, particularly in developing countries with weak institutional frameworks.

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Large infrastructure projects can often cause disruptions with those outside the immediate project area experiencing negative effects. Twitter (now X) and its ensuing online firestorms are ways these project community make themselves heard and influence the project and its societal outcome. Using the case study of the High Speed Two large infrastructure project in the U.K., this article retrieves over 950 000 tweets regarding the project from 2013 to 2019, and using dynamic topic modeling classifies 10 instances of online firestorms over this period covering environmental impacts, legislative dynamics, budget of the project, performance of the project, etc. We then theorize how online firestorms are practiced in large infrastructure projects, discussing the different topics considered in them, their sociomateriality, their difficulty in sustaining, how they can be recreated with similar new issues, how it is used as a persuasive tool, how they can change the project, and how they can be used for risk management. The findings help project managers by enabling them to understand social risks in projects and take proactive steps in addressing them.

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In this article, we discuss the concept of safetywashing defined as the strategic practice of promoting, marketing, and branding of safety practices without full disclosure of negative information to improve the image of the organization. The research seeks to answer two questions: first, what are safetywashing strategies? Second, what are the effects of safetywashing strategies? To study this, 106 news articles relating to construction safety in India, as well as 439 reader comments on them, were systematically collected and their contents analyzed to compile multiple case studies which had evidence of safetywashing. We analyze multiple instances from these case studies to build theoretical insight into these strategies and their effects, using an approach anchored in a social exchange theoretical framework. We highlight different safetywashing strategies employed in the construction sector, such as safety as a project objective, explaining safety initiatives, associating with pioneers, as well as investing in safety. These strategies lead to accepting of organizations, prioritizing safety, and diverting focus, all of which have different implications for safety practice in the construction industry.@en

This book is a novel contribution to a field dominated by conventional approaches to project management; it is about narratives in megaprojects. Among the questions examined in this original new book are: What are narratives? Why are they important in megaprojects? How are they formed and used in megaprojects? How do promotors of and protestors against megaprojects craft narratives to their advantage? What strategies can project managers employ to effectively use narratives in megaprojects? Built from longitudinal research studies in combination with internationally recognised teaching materials, this book will provide readers with a theoretical understanding of narratives and projects, as well as practical international case studies, including HS2, the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Eden Project and Thames Tideway, to support their understanding. The authors explain the different types of narrative, and how and why they are important in general and in relation to a megaproject and its lifecycle, but also explore how to craft narratives in different situations, and how they are changed and maintained over a project’s lifecycle. Narratives in Megaprojects doubles as a text supporting more advanced courses on project management or aspects thereof, and as a reflection of the state of the art in this particular perspective on megaprojects. It is essential reading for all students and professionals in project management, construction and infrastructure as well as executive leaders involved in megaprojects and infrastructure delivery.

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Under the rubric of project governance, governmentality has been defined as a general mode of governing people in projects, whether these projects are organized in an authoritarian, liberal, or neo-liberal mode in their approach to authority relations. We argue that governmentality is a specifically neo-liberal form of social integration, one that stresses the freedom of its subjects, and discuss how it extends governance beyond enforcing contracts and includes all stakeholders. Examples of governmentality in the modern era of projects are discussed as a proactive strategy conceptualized in five contexts in which the concept of governmentality, as governing through freedoms, has been applied in project ecologies. These include governance by contract, governance by alliancing, governance by influence, governance by co-optation, and governance by incorporation. The degree of governmentality in play increases through the sequence.@en

Megaprojects combine multiple external stakeholders, and a common narrative is essential to drive the project among often conflicting objectives. The research project considers the single in-depth qualitative case study of the High Speed Two (HS2) megaproject in the UK to explore how narratives are mobilized through narrative instruments and processes. Since the focus is on narratives, 113 online news articles on the megaproject are systematically studied. A qualitative analysis using open codes and axial codes is employed to understand the narrative instruments and processes. The “talk the walk” strategy to improve the rigor in qualitative research is described. The use of power quotes and proof quotes to reduce the word count while not compromising on the trustworthiness of qualitative research is explained. Finally, the case offers guidelines on the use of online naturalistic data such as digital news media data to explore project management practice in the 21st century.@en

Resilient infrastructure is critical to a sustainable and functioning society. Infrastructure management and (re)development are highly complex processes encompassing various stakeholders’ interests while they are pressured by the uncertainty of climate change and social transition. In response to these challenges, various resilience initiatives emerged with different motivations and approaches. The purpose of this research is to understand the interplay between motivations and organizational approaches as well as resilience conceptualization. This can provide insights into which domains of resilience have been focused on and what needs to be improved in their organizational approaches to realize motivations. This research specifically investigates ten resilient infrastructure initiatives in the Netherlands. By using scoping review and content analysis, our results highlight that resilience initiatives conceptualize resilience in different ways, mainly focusing on built and organizational resilience with a focus on long-term and wider geographic scope. Each initiative had several motivations, including 1) creating innovative solutions, 2) sharing knowledge, 3) promoting commitment and cooperation, and 4) promoting resilience. These motivations are reflected in the organizational approach. For example, there was a strong link between the motivation ‘creating shared knowledge’ and the organizational approach ‘research collaboration.’ Generic motivation such as ‘promoting resilience’ does not have one mainstreaming approach, which shows promoting resilience in practice is still in the exploration stage. This research provides major motivations and organizational approaches and their link within the resilient infrastructure initiatives which can contribute to better organizing similar initiatives aiming for resilient infrastructure.@en

Infrastructure megaprojects are increasing in size and number worldwide. Widespread shortcomings such as cost overruns, delays, litigious threats, and community opposition are now so pervasive there is a clear mandate to rethink the way we plan, deliver, and operate our infrastructure. In this context, we situate this research to understand how megaprojects can be set up for success. Data were collected from responses to a questionnaire survey, interviews, and case studies. The questionnaire was fielded by multiple agencies involved in infrastructure projects, such as engineers, construction organizations, and government delivery agencies. For qualitative insights, we conducted 30 interviews with participants from these agencies and studied cases that successfully implemented the themes identified. The results highlight the three themes with the highest impact in delivering projects successfully: (1) Improved integrated planning, business cases, and front-end engineering design; (2) efficient use of contracts; and (3) strengthening government and political engagement. This research contrasts the literature on megaproject success with data collected from questionnaires, case studies, and interviews. Collecting solutions that have solved issues effectively is an innovative aspect of our methodology, with these findings holding considerable value for ecosystem practitioners. Thus, we contribute by highlighting eight cost-effective, relevant, and efficient ways for reimagining infrastructure megaproject delivery.@en

The objective of this research study was to investigate the role of narratives in shaping multiple innovations in the UK construction industry. A total of 133 innovation stories published in a year are compiled from a digital portal Infrastructure Industry Innovation Partnership (i3P). The stories are qualitatively analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and constant comparisons to understand their motivations. The resulting framework explains how narrative shapes innovation across health, safety, sustainability, and productivity. The use of online research methods has increased in the modern era with the internet becoming more interactive and ubiquitous. However, there is still limited knowledge on how to handle these large amounts of digital data. In this case study, we provide some practical steps to improve data collection, analysis and presentation of online data. All innovations for a year were collected to get a representative sample without excluding any to reduce the researcher bias of exclusion. During presentation of findings, steps were undertaken to guard the privacy of respondents.@en

This chapter considers the central role of uncertainty for cognition and action in construction project organising with a focus on how project practitioners think about the future. It takes a cognitive approach to uncertainty in the context of a broader information processing approach to decision-making in organisations. The chapter’s main concern is the failure of this approach to connect cognition through to action. The chapter presents the UnCoCoH (Un-Certain Complex Complicated Hidden) model as a tool to assist in recognising the transition from individual cognition to collective action. It also highlights the role of narratives for stabilising uncertainty through this transition. This provides a foundation for working towards the development of a projectivity perspective in construction project organising and advancing a research agenda for this program of research.@en

The mobilization of narratives is essential in integrating people and constructing identities that help in navigating complexity, uncertainty, and conflictuality. This paper explores how comparisons are used as a discursive tool to shape narratives and bring about changes in policy and society, using the High Speed Two megaproject in the UK as a case study. We examine the comparisons that promoters and protesters employ in an organizational setting. In particular, we explore how the narratives that result from these comparisons—on questions including the need for the megaproject, the benefits of the megaproject, alternatives to the megaproject, and issues of noise, sustainability, compensation, and branding—help their efforts to organize. The research highlights how comparisons serve as an important cue in discourse and how different forms of comparison can help to create narratives and shape policy outcomes.@en

Projects are peopled at all levels, and people make sense of their lives via narrative thought as the temporal and dramatic dimension of human existence is emphasized in them. Narratives organize people’s lived experiences and create order out of random incidents and events. Such an order can help them understand the passage of events and even guide action. Narratives such as the need for the project, sustainability of the project, innovation in the project can be crafted and maintained in different ways. In this chapter we discuss how different organizational theories such as sensemaking, social identity theory, and organizational power can help understand the narrative practices in project settings. We review studies in project settings that apply narratives to shape the project vision, identity, and image to improve the project management practice.@en

City rebuilding precincts are embedded in, surrounded by, and sometimes resisted or celebrated by stakeholders they impact. These projects require long-lasting relationships and loyalty from the community they serve, making trust a crucial factor. This article employs a case study approach and draws from both social exchange and circuit of power theories to understand the complex relationship between trust and governance. Three strategies emerged from the analysis: employing resources, building legitimacy, and creating a brand. These strategies and their interactions highlight how trust can act as a governance mechanism for more effective engagement with the project community.@en

Infrastructure megaprojects have long been a subject of debate in relation to sustainability. These massive undertakings often result in inefficiencies during project delivery, affect local communities, and contribute to carbon emissions throughout their lifecycle (Söderlund, Sankaran & Biesenthal, 2017). However, there is room for these projects to better integrate into society and create more value for society (Ninan et al., 2023). As Johan Ninan argues in this blog, taking the Port of Rotterdam as example, infrastructure megaprojects can also serve as catalysts for sustainability by actively contributing to the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). @en