The Business of Creating Attractive, Sustainable and Accountable Cities - A New Narrative for Economic Growth

• This paper compiles and analyses observations, arguments, and trends in the field of sustainable urban development, with a specific focus on collaborative innovation and how this, in many western countries, outlines a new narrative for economic growth. It tries to merge cities´ aspiration of being attractive, business interests of providing solutions to societal challenges and development of testbeds through multilevel innovation support schemes. All over the western world, there is an increasing interest in using cities as test beds or living labs for addressing societal challenges and developing solutions. Through real-life test and demonstration, cities and businesses hope for better products and services, accelerated market development and cost-effective solutions to sustainability challenges. The paper explains why attractiveness has become a central goal for cities and how urban infrastructures play a role in addressing both social and environmental challenges and business development simultaneously. Together with national and international industry strategies and support schemes, this forms a new growth narrative. Although a potentially potent strategy, it puts pressure on municipalities to balance the double ambition of sustainable urban development and business development with public administrative core values.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Urban innovation governance

Collaborative innovation

Testbeds

Urban development

Economic growth narrative

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)