This book discusses the emerging importance of urban knowledge, and the controversies surrounding issues of power and bias, selection and implementation of knowledge economies in urban contexts.

This book provides new insights on cities and the nature of urban development, and the role of knowledge management in urban growth. It considers how knowledge informs policies and supports decision making, and can assist in addressing the drivers of urban change. The way that knowledge is produced and used in urban development is analysed, with examples drawn from a range of European countries. This book illustrates how the development and implementation of policies for urban areas can draw on knowledge management, even as the knowledge economy itself stimulates the evolution of the city as a place of innovation and creativity. Whilst knowledge grows in importance, so do urban issues, particularly in economic and political contexts at both European and national levels. These essays explore growth in the range of knowledge available in urban contexts, the ways to generate new knowledge from a wide range of stakeholders, and how these can make an effective contribution to decision making processes in urban development. The attractiveness of cities and surrounding areas to knowledge based forms of industry and investment and the competitiveness and performance of cities are a matter of major concern for national governments. In a sense it has become too important to leave to city politicians, and it is a topic requiring sustained reflection. This book gives the reader a detailed understanding of the issues involved and prompts further reflections.

Reviews the emerging interest in how cities function, and what constitutes a 'good city' Discusses European Union initiatives to intervene at the urban scale to improve competitiveness Addresses the demand for more policy-relevant research

Inhalt

1: Existing and Future Urban Knowledge: Studies in the Production and Use of Knowledge in Urban Contexts: Hans Thor Andersen & Rob Atkinson.- 2: Integrating Urban Knowledge: Peter Moser.- 3: Urban Regeneration and the Use of "Urban Knowledge" in English and Norwegian Cities: Knowledge Producers, Interests and Inclusion/ Exclusion of Knowledge: Ragnhild Skogheim & Rob Atkinson.- 4. Urban Prosumers: Network Generated Urban Spaces: Rainer Rosegger.- 5. Participatory Planning Processes Chances for new Knowledge in Urban Politics?: Peter Moser, Ragnhild Skogheim and Knut Strömberg.- 6. Urban Knowledge and Large Housing Estates in Europe: Elena Dimitrova, Karel Schmeidler & Hans Thor Andersen.- 7. Do we Really Want to Learn? EU Funded Urban Programmes and Their Impact on Urban Regeneration, Knowledge and Learning in Madrid: Rob Atkinson & Andres Walliser.- 8. Re-thinking Sustainable Knowledge-Based Urbanism Through Intermediation: Beth Perry, Tim May, Simon Marvin & Mike Hodson.- 9. Conclusions: Urban Knowledge and Urban Policy: Hans Thor Andersen & Rob Atkinson.