Knowledge City Research Articles

The Role of Universities in Building Knowledge Cities in Australia

Universities, cities and the development of knowledge have gone hand in hand over the centuries, but currently there is increasing pressure from policy-makers for universities to combine an emphasis on global research excellence with a contribution to the development of the knowledge economy in their host cities. One dimension of this concerns the physical relationship between the university and business, and the design of new precincts where university activities are connected with the city. Two case studies from Australia are presented here where state governments and universities are working together to develop precincts in which research investment is coupled with urban regeneration projects and an increased focus by the universities on engagement.

Moving Towards a Knowledge City?

In the global knowledge economy, knowledge-intensive industries and knowledge workers are extensively seen as the primary factors to improve the welfare and competitiveness of cities. To attract and retain such industries and workers, cities produce knowledge-based urban development strategies, where such strategising is an important development mechanism for cities and their economies. This paper investigates knowledge-based urban development strategies of Brisbane, Australia that support generation, attraction, and retention of investment and talent. The paper puts forward a clear understanding on the policy frameworks, and relevant applications of Brisbane’s knowledge-based urban development experience in becoming a prosperous knowledge city, and concludes by providing invaluable insights and directions for other cities seeking knowledge-based urban development.

Formulating integrated knowledge city development strategies: the KnowCis 2.0 methodology

During recent years, the theme of Knowledge Cities (KC) has evolved as a major topic of interest, in the context of the knowledge-based development (KBD) field. The KC theme, being multi-dimensional by nature, attracts researchers from a wide variety of disciplines. Many cities around the world are in the process of adopting KBD approaches and, specifically, of developing KC development strategies. It is only recently that researchers, as well as local authorities’ policy makers, have started looking at the potential for formulating integrated strategies to bridge the knowledge divide, and develop successful KC. However, the lack of integrated KC development strategies still exists and is an important problem for local authorities and decision makers worldwide. This paper aims to further enhance a previous methodology proposed for the formulation of a KC strategy (KnowCis) with new innovative features. It provides insights to the need for local authorities to design sound KC development strategies, discusses key issues and implications and builds on an existing methodology, to develop a more citizen-driven approach. The proposed methodology has been successfully applied in a pilot way, in a Greek Municipality.

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Informational cities: Analysis and construction of cities in the knowledge society

Informational cities are prototypical cities of the knowledge society. If they are informational world cities, they are new centers of power. According to Manuel Castells (1989), in those cities space of flows (flows of money, power, and information) tend to override space of places. Information and communication technology infrastructures, cognitive infrastructures (as groundwork of knowledge cities and creative cities), and city-level knowledge management are of great importance. Digital libraries provide access to the global explicit knowledge. The informational city consists of creative clusters and spaces for personal contacts to stimulate sharing of implicit information. In such cities, we can observe job polarization in favor of well-trained employees. The corporate structure of informational cities is made up of financial services, knowledge-intensive high-tech industrial enterprises, companies of the information economy, and further creative and knowledge-intensive service enterprises. Weak location factors are facilities for culture, recreational activities, and consumption. Political willingness to create an informational city and e-governance activities are crucial aspects for the development of such cities. This conceptual article frames indicators which are able to mark the degree of “informativeness” of a city. Finally, based upon findings of network economy, we try to explain why certain cities master the transition to informational cities and others (lagging to relative insignificance) do not. The article connects findings of information science and of urbanistics and urban planning.

Knowledge cities: a taxonomy for analyzing software and information service clusters

Software and information services (SIS) have become a field of increasing opportunities for international trade due to the worldwide diffusion of a combination of technological and organizational innovations. In several regions, the software industry is organized in clusters, usually referred to as "knowledge cities" because of the growing importance of knowledge-intensive services in their economy. This paper has two primary objectives. First, it raises three major questions related to the attractiveness of different cities in Argentina and Brazil for hosting software companies and to their impact on local development. Second, a new taxonomy is proposed for grouping clusters according to their dominant business segment, ownership pattern and scope of operations. The purpose of this taxonomy is to encourage further studies and provide an exploratory analytical tool for analyzing software clusters.

Changing from a univer(s)city to a knowledge city: the case of Coimbra

In this paper, we aim at exploring the role played by scientific institutions in the recent socio-economic transformations and development of Coimbra, a medium-size Portuguese univer(s)city, in the path towards the creation of a knowledge city. We argue that, in the 21st century, the century of knowledge society, one of the features that have always distinguished Coimbra, the university, offers to the city a new and unique opportunity for restructuration, reconfiguration and recovery at the national level. Indeed, the evidence of a positive evolution of Coimbra prevails in spite of the shortcomings identified in its organisational capacity. In the last years, Coimbra has registered significant transformations, in its economic structure, with the growth of knowledge-intensive sectors such as health and information technology.

A next generation emerging technologies roadmap for enabling collective computational intelligence in disaster management

Much work is underway within the broad next generation emerging technologies community on issues associated with the development of services to foster synergies and collaboration via the integration of distributed and heterogeneous resources, systems and technologies. In previous works, we have discussed how these could help coin and prompt future direction of their fit-to-purpose use in various real-world scenarios including but not limited to disaster management, healthcare, vehicular networking and knowledge cities. In this exploratory paper, we brief and then build upon our previous works and specifically, we present a roadmap highlighting the possible use of next generation emerging technologies for enabling collective computational intelligence in managing disaster situations. A relevant scenario is used to illustrate the model architecture, as well as to detail the proposed roadmap.

Local action to support knowledge-based development

This paper elaborates on a conceptual toolkit to support understanding and offer assistance to policymakers to plan knowledge cities based around existing efforts to support learning in localised settings. We start with a conceptual framework of the learning region that was applied to a regional development programme in the northern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia. In setting out the key features of a learning region, we show how the framework supports the identification of policy gaps and programme needs, drawing on case data from Melbourne’s North. The analysis reveals that there can be significant local action to support learning that contributes to the broader goals of knowledge cities, which leverages but is not entirely reliant on government support. To ensure this contribution is not lost when it comes to government policy and programme planning, we argue that a focus on networked governance is needed to improve cooperation between relatively autonomous local learning networks and diffe...

Delft blues: the long road from university town to knowledge city

Besides their teaching and research tasks, universities are increasingly expected to valorise knowledge into innovation. This involves new products, but also transdisciplinary knowledge exchange with people, technologies, firms and markets. This relates to knowledge-based urban development through a variety of locally-specific variables and features. This paper discusses the role of knowledge capacity in the development of the Dutch City of Delft. It emphasises the role of Delft University of Technology as a main player of Delft’s knowledge capacity, the qualities of the local production and consumption milieus and the role of local knowledge city policy. It explores the role and impact of knowledge capacity in urban development in a setting with mixed advantageous and disadvantageous qualities. The results suggest that the reason for the disappointing employment creation in Delft may be found particularly in the triple helix cooperation between government, knowledge institutions and industry.

Knowledge cities through 'open design studio' educational projects: the case study of Jeddah City

This paper documents the approach, methodology and outcomes of the knowledge cities (KCs) ‘open design studio’ (ODS) model, which allowed for the interaction of the three planning and design disciplines in the Faculty of Environmental Design at King Abdul-Aziz University. The ‘ODS’ methodology relied on the ability of each discipline to create its own approach to the study; working under one roof, allowing for ongoing exchange of knowledge and findings, and calling for periodical formal joint presentations to align the work of all tracks. First, the rational motives behind the adoption of the subject area, the selection of the case study, the utilisation of educational projects as a tool, and the promotion of multi-disciplinary design studio as a work environment were introduced. Next, the formation of the ODS, the development model, activities, and outcomes were presented. Lastly, a discussion highlighting the achievements, challenges and directions for future developments took place.

Position paper: redefining knowledge-based urban development

The concept of knowledge-based urban development has first come to the urban planning and development agenda during the very last years of the 20th century as a promising paradigm to support the transformation process of cities into knowledge cities and their societies into knowledge societies. However, soon after the exponentially rapid advancements experienced, during the first decade of the 21st century, particularly in the domains of economy, society, management and technology along with the severe impacts of climate change, have made the redefinition of the term a necessity. This paper, first, reports the findings of the review of the relatively short but dynamic history of urbanisation experiences of our cities around the globe. The paper, then, focuses on the 21st century urbanisation context and discusses the conceptual base of the knowledge-based development of cities and how this concept found application ground in many parts of the world. Following this, the paper speculates development of futu...

Growth, Consumption and Knowledge Cities

Cities are important centres of service activities and hubs of new knowledge. The changing structure of production and consumption in post-industrial cities has been analysed by building on the recent economic literature in three related fields, such as: the ‘endogenous development’ of industrial clusters, the regional development of knowledge intensive business services and the regional factors of innovation and knowledge creation. The increasing interaction between users and producers for the development of new services within cities creates the internal aggregate demand, which is mainly concentrated within cities, and can be a powerful driver of national growth and the new motor or the drivers of the economy in a modern city.

Innovacities: in search of breakthrough innovations producing world-class performance

Several studies have identified the key competitive factors of knowledge and creative cities. They have elaborated specific metrics and indicators to be able to provide a comparative assessment of innovation performance in cities, regions and nations. However, few of these studies have analysed the specific reasons why some cities have made a tremendous transition in a specific period of time using a systemic perspective. Through the analysis of a small group of renowned cities, this study examines and identifies the inflection points where the cities made great transformations in terms of world-class performance, and identifies the enabling mechanisms that made the transitions possible, that produced large-scale changes and that created interdependent spaces in which the citizens, the social communities, the businesses and their local natural environments, have become articulated into a harmonious and balanced regional development.

Knowledge-based urban development of Multimedia Super Corridor, Malaysia: an overview

In recent years, with the impact of the global knowledge economy, a more comprehensive urban development approach, so called ‘knowledge-based urban development’, has gained significant popularity. This paper discusses the critical connections among knowledge-based urban development strategies, knowledge-intensive industries and information and communication technology infrastructures. In particular, the research focuses on investigating the application of the knowledge-based urban development concept by discussing one of South East Asia’s large scale knowledge-based urban development manifestations of Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor. The paper scrutinises Malaysia’s experience in the development and evolution of the Multimedia Super Corridor from the angle of knowledge-based urban development policy implementation, infrastructural implications, and actors involved in its development and management. This paper provides a number of lessons learned from the Multimedia Super Corridor on the orchestration of knowledge-based urban development that is a necessity for cities seeking successful knowledge city and knowledge economy transformations.

Knowledge-based urban development paradigm: Doha asa model for a knowledge and creative city in the Middle East

Abstract Qatar's future vision, named Qatar 2030, is forecasting an economy based on knowledge and creativity rather than depletable natural carbon resources. Knowledge and creativity are perhaps the most important factors in the future of a city's economy, and there is a growing interest in the concept of the “knowledge and creative city”. A knowledge and creative city is not just a regular city. It is a growing space of exchange and optimism in which each and everyone can devote themselves to personal and collective projects and aspirations in a climate of dynamism, harmony, and creativity. The main purpose of this research is to explore the ‘knowledge city’ concept in depth. It will discuss the principles of a knowledge city, and portray its distinguishing characteristics and processes. A solid argument will be constructed to illustrate that the concept of knowledge cities is rooted in the urban, cultural structure of traditional Arab cities. Therefore an attempt to foster this concept in today's Arab/Middle Eastern cities would not be possible by building isolated technological statements scattered around the city. Alternatively, the rise of the network society, global networks, linked cities and the existence of smart communities should construct the basis for shaping Arab Knowledge Cities. A focus on Doha as an emerging knowledge and creative city amid the Middle Eastern cities will be included to examine the main hypothesis of the research. ‘What are the qualities of future cities?’ becomes a crucial question and its answer creates a challenge for architects, urban designers, planners, developers, and decision makers around the world. This research will answer this question by articulating a new matrix for knowledge and creative city formation. Doha will be used as a model for such a new paradigm of knowledge-based urban design and development in the Middle East. The Middle Eastern cities are not only exceptions, but would require major social transformations to join the knowledge economy era.

Building knowledge city in transformation era: Knowledge‐based urban development in Beijing in the context of globalisation and decentralisation

AbstractThis study examines knowledge‐based urban development in Beijing with the objective of revealing the impact of the ‘synergetic’ forces of globalisation and local government intervention on knowledge‐based urban development in the context of the coexisting processes of globalisation and decentralisation. The findings in this paper show that due to the rapid growth of the cultural industry sector, knowledge‐based urban development has created various kinds of ‘cultural industry clustered areas’, which were recently promoted by the 2008 Olympic Games. ‘Synergetic’ global and local forces are leading knowledge‐based urban development, with the emergence of a local coalition regime in which local government manages local development, considered as ‘enterprises’ in the decentralisation process, while the State retains a significant influence on knowledge‐based urban development. The central and municipal governments tend to emphasise strategies to ‘facilitate the climate for growth’ rather than the centrally planned control they exerted prior to the 1980s.

Making MAKCi

PurposeFollowing a third‐generation knowledge management (KM) approach, this article aims to report on a three‐year series of practitioners' experiences engaged in a consensus‐building exercise known as the MAKCi exercise.Design/methodology/approachDesigned to illustrate a real‐world KM case, this research work used participant observation, on‐line interactions and interviews as methodological tools to explore how knowledge management as a discipline has benefited from the use of Web 2.0 technology.FindingsThe first part of the article depicts the Most Admired Knowledge City (MAKCi) exercise as a research and learning space networked and tightly connected on‐line by common interests of participants. The second part of the article brings further understanding on how networked learning and knowledge creation has been made possible by the use of Web 2.0 tools. It is advanced that higher levels of knowledge co‐creation at a global scale can take the shape of networks of practice (NoPs) in knowledge‐based development contexts such as the one explored for the MAKCi exercise.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to a three‐year recording of practitioners' experiences.Originality/valueKnowledge‐based social systems, such as networks of practice (NoPs) are identified as emerging social configurations fostering knowledge‐intensive networked learning. NoPs clearly depend on collaboration within networks. Thus, the paper advances that some emerging models of knowledge‐intensive networks such as (NoPs) are natural KM vehicles to foster and promote intensive tacit knowledge conversion into explicit scholarly knowledge regardless of geographical location, becoming highly relevant to knowledge‐based development (KBD) practitioners.

KNOWLEDGE AND THE EUROPEAN CITY

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses and illustrates the ‘knowledge turn’ in urban policy across Europe. We identify four manifestations of it: 1) widespread efforts to lure knowledge workers; 2) a growing involvement of knowledge institutes in urban development and planning processes, 3) an explicit ‘knowledge based’ approach to planning and the design of public space, and 4) efforts to underline a ‘knowledge city’ identity using all kinds of marketing and branding techniques.

Ciudad: Identidad y rankings

For cities, and forms of constructing them through history, diverse adjectives, some more and some less justifi ed, have been provided. Nowadays, much is made of the city of knowledge and of innovation in the evolution of urban forms. It is recognised that many of these expressions remain metaphorical, but it is important to establish the added value generated by a conceptualization of this kind in the fiof economic management and the generation of capital gains. Also important is the recognition that the city is something independent and that an improved valuation of a city, in a broad sense, is based on the values provided by its identity; as such, supposed knowledge or innovation should not be overly managed through the media, via globalization, or through forgetting its constituted and constructed historical reality.