Influence of Stakeholders on urban quay walls

Abstract

When a quay wall does not meet the safety requirements it has to be replaced by a new quay wall. During the entire replacement project many stakeholders are affected. This can lead to resistance against the project. Resistance can be expected when the interests of the stakeholders are not (sufficiently) integrated in the design or construction method of the replacing quay wall. The high density of stakeholders in urban areas increases the probability that stakeholders will resist against the project. In Amsterdam the lead time for replacing a quay wall is up to five years this lead time accounts for the time from the decision to replace the quay wall until the realization of the new quay wall. One of the reasons for the long duration of the replacement projects is the time invested in dealing with the resistance of stakeholders.

While the construction method of the new quay wall has influence on the reaction of the stakeholders, the reactions of the stakeholders on the other hand may influence the construction method. Therefore, in order to reduce the lead time for replacing a quay wall, an optimum between the construction method and the reaction of stakeholders is expedient. In order to minimize the resistance of the stakeholders it is advisable to take the interests of the stakeholders into account.
The objective of the present research has been to develop a method to determine the construction method that will most be in accordance with the interests of the stakeholders, in order to possibly minimize the resistance produced by the stakeholders.

C&S-matrix
In this research, a method called “construction stakeholder matrix” (C&S-matrix) was constructed. This matrix connects the stakeholders and the construction method directly, by comparing the extent to which different construction methods are in accordance with the stakes of the stakeholders. Thereby, the matrix takes into account the influence of different stakeholders on the outcome of the project. The outcome of the matrix is a numerical value: the lower the number, the more resistance can be expected.

The C&S-matrix is applied on a case of the Prisengracht in Amsterdam, four types of urban quay walls were selected. The outcome of the matrix is that the combined wall with inclined piles will result in the least amount of resistance produced by stakeholders.

The C&S-matrix is a useful method to determine which construction method produces the least resistance. Since the output is numerical value it enables that the construction methods and the expected resistance can be compared, which makes this method unique. The effectiveness of the C&S-matrix mainly depends on the stakeholder analysis, it requires that all the stakeholders with their interest are identified and that the power-vs-interest grid resembles the actual power and interest of the stakeholders. This method predicts which stakeholders will most likely resist, this gives information for other measures to reduce this resistance for example compensation.