Developing a knowledge-based urban development analysis framework : the case of multimedia super corridor, Malaysia

Purpose: In the global knowledge economy, investment in knowledge-intensive industries and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructures are seen as significant factors in improving the overall socio-economic fabric of cities. Consequently knowledge-based urban development (KBUD) has become a new paradigm in urban planning and development, for increasing the welfare and competitiveness of cities and regions. The paper discusses the critical connections between KBUD strategies and knowledge-intensive industries and ICT infrastructures. In particular, it investigates the application of the knowledge-based urban development concept by discussing one of South East Asia’s large scale manifestations of KBUD; Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor. ----- ----- Design/methodology/approach: The paper provides a review of the KBUD concept and develops a knowledge-based urban development assessment framework to provide a clearer understanding of development and evolution of KBUD manifestations. Subsequently the paper investigates the implementation of the KBUD concept within the Malaysian context, and particularly the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). ----- ----- Originality/value: The paper, with its KBUD assessment framework, scrutinises Malaysia’s experince; providing an overview of the MSC project and discussion of the case findings. The development and evolution of the MSC is viewed with regard to KBUD policy implementation, infrastructural implications, and the agencies involved in the development and management of the MSC. ----- ----- Practical implications: The emergence of the knowledge economy, together with the issues of globalisation and rapid urbanisation, have created an urgent need for urban planners to explore new ways of strategising planning and development that encompasses the needs and requirements of the knowledge economy and society. In light of the literature and MSC case findings, the paper provides generic recommendations, on the orchestration of knowledge-based urban development, for other cities and regions seeking to transform to the knowledge economy.

Editorial

Where a city or a country aspires to be in a decade or two from now on? How its social, economic and urban structures would be shaped by then? These are very complex two questions to answer precisely, just as it is not possible to accurately predict, especially in the wake of the recent global financial crisis, what a city or a country would be transformed into over the next decades. Under this uncertainly, the incredible speed of the knowledge that is generated, marketed, exchanged and applied in all parts of our lives – society, economy, environment – provides a hope for furthering the development of our cities and countries (Carrillo, 2006). This is to say, in today’s global knowledge economy knowledge and talent are continued to be seen as prerequisites for success as it was always the case in the course of history.

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 the 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 development that is a necessity for cities seeking successful knowledge city and knowledge economy transformations.

Knowledge-based urban development processes of an emerging knowledge city : Brisbane, Australia

In the global knowledge economy, to attract and retain knowledge-intensive industries and workers, cities produce various development strategies. Such strategising is an important development mechanism for cities to complete their transformation into knowledge cities. This paper discusses the critical connections between knowledge city foundations and integrated knowledge-based urban development strategies, and scrutinises Brisbane’s strategies in attracting and retaining investment and talent. The paper introduces a knowledge-based urban development assessment framework and uses this framework to provide a clearer understanding of Brisbane’s knowledge-based development processes and knowledge city transformation experience. The assessment framework particularly focuses on examining Brisbane’s four development processes, institutional, economic, socio-cultural and urban development, in detail. The findings reveal that although Brisbane is still in early stages of its transformation into a fully-fledged knowledge city, global orientation and achievements of Brisbane in strategising knowledge-based urban development are noteworthy.

Moving towards a knowledge city? Brisbane's experience in knowledge-based urban development

: 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 also 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.

Tampere region under the microscope : a critical analysis from the knowledge perspective

Purpose – In the context of global knowledge economy, knowledge-based urban development (KBUD) is seen as an effective development strategy for city-regions to survive, flourish and become highly competitive urban agglomerations – i.e., a knowledge city-region. This paper aims to evaluate the KBUD dynamics, capacity and potentials of a rapidly emerging knowledge city-region of Finland – Tampere region. Design/methodology/approach – The paper undertakes a review of the literature on regional development in the knowledge economy era. It adopts a qualitative analysis technique to scrutinize the dynamics, capacity and potentials of Tampere region. The semi-structured interview process starts with the pre-determined key actors of the city-region with an aim of determining the other key players. Next, with the participation of all key players to the interviews, the research reveals the principal issues, assets and mechanisms that relate to KBUD, and portrays the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the city-region. A critical analysis of the findings along with the previous studies is undertaken to provide a clear picture of the dynamics, capacity and potentials of the emerging knowledge city-region. Originality/value – This paper reports the findings of a pioneering study focusing on the investigation of the KBUD dynamics, capacity and potentials of Tampere region. The paper critically evaluates the city-region from the knowledge perspective with the lens of KBUD, and the lessons learned and the methodological approach of the paper shed light to other city-regions seeking such development. Practical implications – The paper discusses the findings of a study from Tampere region that critically scrutinizes the KBUD experience of the city-region. The research provides an invaluable opportunity to inform the regional decision-, policy- and plan-making mechanisms by determining key issues, actors, assets, processes and potential development directions for the KBUD of Tampere region.

Making space for knowledge generation and place for knowledge communities : an analysis of the Australian practice

In the era of global knowledge economy, urban regions—seeking to increase their competitive edge, become destinations for talent and investment, and provide prosperity and quality of life to their inhabitants—have little chance achieving their development goals without forming effective knowledge-based urban development strategies. This paper aims to shed light on the planning and development processes of the knowledge-based urban development phenomenon with respect to the construction of knowledge community precincts aimed at making space for knowledge generation and place for knowledge communities. Following to a thorough review of the literature on knowledge-based urban development and strategic asset-based planning, the paper undertakes policy and best practice analyses to learn from the planning and development processes of internationally renowned knowledge community precincts—from Copenhagen, Eindhoven and Singapore. In the light of the analyses findings, this paper scrutinises major Australian knowledge community precinct initiatives—from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane—to better understand the dynamics of national practices, and benchmark them against the international best practice cases. The paper concludes with a discussion on the study findings and recommendations for successfully establishing space and place for both knowledge economy and society in Australian cities.

Benchmarking knowledge-based urban development performance : Results from the international comparison of Helsinki

In the era of a global knowledge economy, urban regions that seek to increase their competitive edge, become destinations for talent and investment and provide prosperity and high quality of life to their inhabitants have little chance of achieving these goals without forming effective knowledge-based urban development strategies. The research reported in this paper aims to address the questions of how a knowledge-based urban development performance measurement can be undertaken and the value contribution of such measurement. The paper focuses on the city of Helsinki. This empirical study analytically investigates Helsinki’s performance from the lens of knowledge-based urban development by comparing this urban region with eight international competitors, Boston, San Francisco, Birmingham, Manchester, Melbourne, Sydney, Toronto, and Vancouver. The results of the study not only reveal a clearer understanding of Helsinki’s benchmarked performance and competitive edge considering the regional policy context along with strategic directions in strengthening its international standing and competitiveness but also provide useful insights for other urban regions that aspire to such development.

Hypercapitalism : language, new media and social perceptions of value

Using examples from contemporary policy and business discourses, and exemplary historical texts dealing with the notion of value, I put forward an argument as to why a critical scholarship that draws on media history, language analysis, philosophy and political economy is necessary to understand the dynamics of what is being called 'the global knowledge economy'. I argue that the social changes associated with new modes of value determination are closely associated with new media forms.

Building contemporary urban spaces of knowledge and innovation : Lessons from Australian practice

In the era of global knowledge economy, urban regions that are seeking to increase their competitive edge, become destinations for talent and investment, and provide prosperity and quality of life to their inhabitants have little chance achieving their development goals without forming effective knowledge-based urban development strategies. This paper aims to shed light on the planning and development of the knowledge-based urban development phenomenon with respect to the construction of knowledge community precincts aimed at building contemporary urban spaces of knowledge and innovation. Following to a thorough review of the literature on knowledge-based urban development, the paper undertakes policy and best practice analyses to learn from the internationally renowned Australian knowledge community precincts, from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, to better understand the dynamics of knowledge community precinct development practices. The paper provides a discussion on the study findings and recommendations for successfully establishing contemporary urban spaces of knowledge and innovation.

Knowledge-based urban development performance analysis : moving towards an integrated system

Knowledge-based urban development (KBUD) has become the new development paradigm for the cities of the global knowledge economy era. Nevertheless, to date international KBUD performance analysis of prosperous knowledge cities is understudied. This paper, therefore, introduces the methodology and application of a novel performance analysis approach to comprehensively scrutinise the global perspectives on KBUD of cities—i.e., The KBUD Assessment Model (KBUD/AM). This indexing model puts 11 renowned knowledge cities—i.e., Birmingham, Boston, Brisbane, Helsinki, Istanbul, Manchester, Melbourne, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver—under the KBUD microscope to provide a benchmarked international outlook. The results of the indexing provide internationally benchmarked snapshot of the degree of achievements in various KBUD performance areas. This paper discusses the further development avenues and potentialities of the index to become an integrated system for the policy-making circles of cities to benchmark themselves against their competitors and develop relevant KBUD policies.

Proceedings of the 6th Knowledge Cities World Summit, KCWS 2013

In recent years, with the impact of global knowledge economy, a more comprehensive development approach has gained significant popularity. This new development approach, so called ‘knowledge-based urban development’, is different from its traditional predecessor. With a much more balanced focus on all of the four key development domains – economic, spatial, institutional, and socio-cultural – this contemporary approach, aims to bring economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and local institutional competence with a just socio-spatial order to our cities and regions. The ultimate goal of knowledgebased urban development is to produce a city purposefully designed to encourage the continuous production, circulation and commercialization of social and scientific knowledge – this will in turn establish a ‘knowledge city’. A city following the ‘knowledge city’ concept embarks on a strategic mission to firmly encourage and nurture locally focused innovation, science and creativity within the context of an expanding knowledge economy and society. In this regard a ‘knowledge city’ can be seen as an integrated city, which physically and institutionally combines the functions of a science and technology park with civic and residential functions and urban amenities. It also offers one of the effective paradigms for the sustainable cities of our time. This sixth edition of KCWS – The 6th Knowledge Cities World Summit 2013 – makes an important reminder that the ‘knowledge city’ concept is a key notion in the 21st Century development. Considering this notion, the Summit sheds light on the multifaceted dimensions and various scales of building a ‘knowledge city’ via ‘knowledge-based urban development’ paradigm by particularly focusing on the overall Summit theme of ‘Establishing Bridges’. At this summit, the theoretical and practical maturing of knowledge-based development paradigms are advanced through the interplay between the world’s leading academics’ theories and the practical models and strategies of practitioners’ and policy makers’ drawn from around the world. This summit proceeding is compiled in order to disseminate the knowledge generated and shared in KCWS 2013 with the wider research, governance, and practice communities the knowledge co-created in this summit. All papers of this proceeding have gone through a double-blind peer review process and been reviewed by our summit editorial review and advisory board members. We, organizers of the summit, cordially thank the members of the Summit Proceeding Editorial Review and Advisory Board for their diligent work in the review of the papers. Also we thank Prof.Dr. Ahmet Ademoğlu, Rector of İstanbul Şehir University, for providing all the support for the Summit. We hope the papers in this proceeding will inspire and make a significant contribution to the research, governance, and practice circles.

Productivity differences, technology adoption and economic growth : the case of India

When the acronym of ëBRICí was coined in 2001 by Jim OíNeill of Goldman Sachs, it was expected that economic growth rates in India, Brazil and Russia would eventually catch up with that of China. However, China has continued to outperform the other economies in the group, even after it was renamed ëBRICSí to reflect the inclusion of South Africa in 2010. The focus of this chapter is on one of the BRICS economies, namely India. Its aim is to examine from an economic perspective, why Indiaís performance has not lived up to expectations, and comment on the key challenges it faces in meeting them. We begin with some descriptive statistics regarding the progress of the Indian economy since 1990. While it has been growing at a rapid rate since the reforms it introduced in the1990s, there has been a slowdown in its overall GDP growth rates since 2008. The rate of growth experienced in the period 2003ñ07 was an average of 10.5 per cent. However, since the recession following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008, the growth rate has fallen. From the period 2008ñ12 it has only registered an average growth rate of 6.5 per cent (World Bank, 2013). This chapter suggests that one of the major factors underpinning this slowdown is the performance of Indiaís agricultural sector. The importance of the agricultural sector is highlighted by the following stylized facts.

Review: "Planning Asian cities : risks and resilience" edited by Stephen Hamnett and Dean Forbes, Planning, History and Environment Series, London, Routledge, 2011

Since the beginning of the agricultural revolution, cities have always been the cradle of civilisation, innovation and productivity, particularly as a result of the recent change factors affecting their (trans)formation, such as globalisation, the knowledge economy, technological advancements, climate change and so on. While in some parts of the world, cities are rapidly growing, in other parts, cities are shrinking, and their populations are aging. Even under the current pressure of constantly changing global conditions, the role of cities in influencing and partially shaping local, regional, national, supranational and even global level economy, society, environment and governance is undeniable. Global changes, while providing opportunities for cities and their administrations to reform and revisit existing planning and development processes and mechanisms, at the same time, challenge them by dealing with everincreasing risks and establishing resilience. At present, more than half of the world’s population...

The 4th Knowledge Cities World Summit Proceedings

FROM KCWS 2011 CHAIRS AND SUMMIT PROCEEDING EDITORS In recent years, with the impact of global knowledge economy, a more comprehensive development approach has gained significant popularity. This new development approach, so called ‘knowledgebased development’, is different from its traditional predecessor. With a much more balanced focus on all of the four key development domains – economic, enviro-urban, institutional, and sociocultural – this contemporary approach, aims to bring economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and local institutional competence with a just socio-spatial order to our cities and regions. The ultimate goal of knowledge-based development is to produce a city purposefully designed to encourage the continuous production, circulation and commercialisation of social and scientific knowledge – this will in turn establish a ‘knowledge city’. A city following the ‘knowledge city’ concept embarks on a strategic mission to firmly encourage and nurture locally focussed innovation, science and creativity within the context of an expanding knowledge economy and society. In this regard a ‘knowledge city’ can be seen as an integrated city, which physically and institutionally combines the functions of a science and technology park with civic and residential functions and urban amenities. It also offers one of the effective paradigms for the sustainable cities of our time. This fourth edition of KCWS – The 4th Knowledge Cities World Summit 2011 – makes an important reminder that the 'knowledge city' concept is a key notion in the 21st Century development. Considering this notion, the Summit sheds light on the multi-faceted dimensions and various scales of building a ‘knowledge city’ via 'knowledge-based development' paradigm by particularly focusing on the overall Summit theme of ‘Knowledge Cities for Future Generations’. At this summit, the theoretical and practical maturing of knowledge-based development paradigms are advanced through the interplay between the world’s leading academics’ theories and the practical models and strategies of practitioners’ and policy makers’ drawn from around the world. This summit proceeding is compiled in order to disseminate the knowledge generated and shared in KCWS 2011 with the wider research, governance, and practice communities the knowledge cocreated in this summit. All papers of this proceeding have gone through a double-blind peer review process and been reviewed by our summit editorial review and advisory board members. We, organisers of the summit, cordially thank the members of the Summit Proceeding Editorial Review and Advisory Board for their diligent work in the review of the papers. We hope the papers in this proceeding will inspire and make a significant contribution to the research, governance, and practice circles.