National governments own and lease many buildings to accommodate their civil servants. During recent decades, the management of these real estate portfolios has become more important and has been subject to many changes. As a result, the managers of public real estate have to operate in a continuously changing field of tension. Public real estate managers have to weigh up political, financial and functional needs. The balance between these interests, which is reflected in the positioning of public real estate, differs in various developed Western Countries and shows increasing dynamics. These dynamics are partly caused by a lack of knowledge about the consequences of the changes that have been introduced.
This book deals with the reasoning that goes behind justifying changes in the organisation or focus of public real estate management and the relation between contextual developments and the changes that have been introduced. For example: Why is the management of public real estate in some countries decentralised to various departments and agencies, whereas other countries choose to have a centralised organisation? And why do similar contextual developments lead to different strategies regarding public real estate management? In addition to answering questions such as the ones mentioned above, this book illustrates the political, financial and functional consequences of three rather extreme public real estate strategies. Based on this knowledge, governments will be better equipped to make well-founded decisions about real estate.
