Urban knowledge and innovation spaces

The expansion of knowledge economy, globalization, and economic competitiveness has imparted importance of knowledge and innovation in local economies worldwide. As a result integrating knowledge generation and innovation considerations in urban planning and development processes has become an important agenda for establishing sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness of contemporary cities. Today making space and place that concentrate on knowledge generation and innovation is a priority for many cities all across the globe. This paved the way for the establishment of ‘urban knowledge and innovation spaces’. Such spaces are branded as technology, science, innovation, creative, and knowledge hubs or precincts or districts and the like. These spaces are established with two primary objectives in mind. The first objective is to be a seedbed and an enclave for knowledge and technology and to play an incubator role nurturing the development and growth of new, small, high-technology firms, facilitating the transfer of university know-how to tenant companies, encouraging faculty-based spin-offs, and stimulating innovative products and processes. The second objective is to act as a catalyst for regional economic development that promotes economic growth and contributes to the development of the city as a ‘knowledge or innovative city’. This paper offers background information on urban knowledge and innovation spaces, introduces the contributions of the focus issue, and speculates on future research directions