Value integration in multi-functional urban projects: a value driven perspective on sustainability transitions

Sustainable urban development requires the integration of diverse values to achieve multi-functional goals. Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) projects can be considered as pioneers in value integration. By combining bureaucratic innovations (BI) and social innovations (SI) these BGI projects are able to reach a more holistic development that is characterised as a value-driven approach for sustainability transitions. In this study on BGI projects, we aim to learn how to deliver multi-functional projects through different interpretation of four factors, i.e. professional culture, governance level, geographical space, and time conception, in various constellations of BI and SI. Results of our cross-case study of four BGI projects in three European countries (the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden) indicate that project with higher degrees of value integration balance BI and SI in following four ways: (i) heterogeneity in professions in value-decision-making, (ii) multi-level governance embedded in institutional frameworks, (iii) connecting city-wide and neighbourhood levels by boundary spanners, and (iv) having a dynamic time conception. Our findings imply that social innovation experiences on projects has to fit into the bureaucratic environment to achieve true value integration.