Urbanization, Knowledge and Competitiveness in Developing Economies

Abstract

The production and use of knowledge are intended to be benefiting from the economies of scale provided by urban agglomerations that often refer to universities, research centers, and businesses. The linkage between cities and knowledge is consequently considered to be the major engine for the promotion of growth and development in every economy, starting with its urban segments. The analysis conducted in this chapter has shown the existence of possibilities for a better promotion of urban livelihoods through the acceleration of adoption rates in each knowledge economy component, with special emphasis on developing economies. Furthermore, the processes of production, diffusion, and use of knowledge for urban development have to be monitored by urban executives and all city stakeholders. These are continuously invited to help accelerate the processes of knowledge production, use, and diffusion as they are directly concerned with the welfare of current and future urban populations. This emphasizes the issue of the governance of urban knowledge. These overall recommendations are based on the relationships between urbanization, knowledge, and competitiveness measures. Other drivers that are also important and related to tacit knowledge and other human abilities are not directly considered in this study. Implementation, monitoring, and evaluation have appeared to be key elements to ensure immediate and long-term benefits to both cities and their regions.