Assessing the Potential for Developing Innovation Districts at the City Scale by Adapting a New Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Method

Abstract

Excellent previous case studies of innovation districts have provided a foundation for the integration of innovation and urban development. However, few researchers have evaluated the potential for developing innovation districts in inner city spaces. In this study, taking Qingdao as an example, the adaptive cycle theory was combined with entrepreneurial ecosystem theory to form a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem (SEE) framework, including the three criteria of conditions, outputs, and outcomes. This framework allows for the effective identification of key factors and areas within cities that influence the development of innovation districts. The results showed that the potential for developing innovation districts showed a concentric trend, i.e., higher in the downtown, highest in the suburbs, and lowest in the outer suburbs. Comparative analysis revealed that innovation sources were a key factor in the development of Qingdao’s innovation districts. In terms of cluster analysis, the northern and southwestern clusters in the suburbs were in the conservation (K) phase, and the eastern and downtown clusters were in the exploitation (r), suggesting that the former was the preferred location for innovation districts. This study facilitates the establishment of site-specific innovation districts at key locations to enhance the success of decision making.