Web data extraction systems versus research collaboration in sustainable planning for housing: udSmart governance takes it all

摘要

To date, there are no clear insights in the spatial patterns and micro-dynamics of the housing market. The objective of this study is to collect real estate micro-data for the development of policy-support indicators on housing market dynamics at the local scale. These indicators can provide the requested insights in spatial patterns and micro-dynamics of the housing market. Because the required real estate data are not systematicly published as statistical data or open data, innovative forms of data collection are needed. This paper is based on a case study approach of the greater Leuven area (Belgium). The research question is what are suitable methods or strategies to collect data on micro-dynamics of the housing market. The methodology includes a technical approach for data collection, being Web data extraction, and a governance approach, being explorative interviews. A Web data extraction system collects and extracts unstructured or semi-structured data that are stored or published on Web sources. Most of the required data are publicly and readily available as Web data on real estate portal websites. Web data extraction at the scale of the case study succeeded in collecting the required micro-data, but a trial run at the regional scale encountered a number of practical and legal issues. Simultaneously with the Web data extraction, the dialogue with two real estate portal websites was initiated, using purposive sampling and explorative semi-structured interviews. The interviews were considered as the start of a transdisciplinary research collaboration process. Both companies indicated that the development of indicators about housing market dynamics was a good and relevant idea, yet a challenging task. The companies were familiar with Web data extraction systems, but considered it a suboptimal technique to collect real estate data for the development of housing dynamics indicators. They preferred an active collaboration instead of passive Web scraping. In the frame of a users’ agreement, we received one company’s dataset and calculated the indicators for the case study based on this dataset. The unique micro-data provided by the company proved to be the start of a collaborative planning approach between private partners, the academic world and the Flemish government. All three win from this collaboration on the long run. Smart governance can gain from smart technologies, but should not loose sight of active collaborations.