Public land development and housing plan implementation

Purpose This study aims to elucidate the impact of public land development (PLD) on the implementation of housing plans. It investigates whether the implementation of housing plans that employ PLD is faster than those developed using alternative land development strategies. This analysis is conducted through quantitative methods across various stages of housing plan implementation to provide a more comprehensive understanding of PLD’s effect on housing plan implementation. Design/methodology/approach The authors estimate a fully parametric time-to-event model, using the duration of housing plan implementation as the dependent variable. They incorporate PLD exposure, along with characteristics of the housing market and housing plans, as control variables. This analysis is facilitated by a novel dataset created by combining various administrative records, housing capacity plans and building information from three provinces in the Netherlands. Findings The findings of this study indicate that greater exposure to PLD public land development exposure (PLDE) leads to an extension in the implementation duration of housing plans. Public intervention through land development does not facilitate the implementation of these plans; instead, it appears to hinder the process. When PLDE is minimal, the difference in the duration of housing plan implementation is not statistically significant. However, plans with high exposure may experience delays of approximately six months. Originality/value To author’s knowledge, this is the first paper of its kind that quantitatively investigates the effect of PLD. The novel dataset created for this study is one of its kind that enables addressing this gap in the literature regarding the PLD.