Perry, B., May, T., Hodson, M. & Marvin, S. (2011). Integrated Visions for Knowledge Cities. Manchester: SURF, University of Salford.
Cities and their regions are positioned as critical places where the challenges of knowledge-based growth in the Twenty-First Century will be met. ‘Knowledge’ is accorded a central role in economic growth and competitiveness.
Policy frameworks at international, national and sub-national levels have positioned cities to play a key role in building the knowledge economy to harness science, technology and innovation for wealth creation and economic competitiveness. National responses differ. In some countries specific national initiatives have been designed and funded to support the development of urban capacities for innovation, create clusters of higher education expertise, public-private collaborative platforms and low carbon transitions. Support for knowledge cities may be targeted at specific cities – for those lagging behind or for those at the forefront of the innovation game. Alternatively, it may be left for cities themselves to develop responses to the global challenges of knowledge-based development. The context of the recession has brought the role of cities in the knowledge economy into a new light. The danger is that an over-emphasis on the economic role of knowledge and innovation will crowd out important shifts in understanding that have taken place over the past decade and undermine the development of more integrated visions for knowledge cities.
