Biotechnology and knowledge-based urban development in DNA Valley

Abstract

The internationalization of Big Science programs such as the Human Genome Project to map the human genome heralds the arrival of a new model for knowledge-based urban development driven by scientific advancements in biotechnology. Indeed, the biotechnology industry is a potent engine for knowledge-based urban development around the globe. While the most famous example of biotechnology-driven knowledge-based urban development is Biopolis in Singapore, the National Capitol region of the United States is home to an emerging biotechnopole known as DNA Valley. Using a case study approach to compare and contrast DNA Valley with past examples of knowledge-based urban development in the United States, this chapter highlights the challenges for sustainable knowledge-based urban development in the global biotechnology industry and the practical steps public and private stakeholders can adopt to sustain knowledge-based urban development based on biotechnology.