Distinctive city strategies - authentic or formulaic?
In the context of the economic slump and intensified competition for jobs and investment, cities must promote their distinctiveness and develop ‘differential advantages’ that other cities cannot reproduce.
People should not resort to formulaic responses - high tech industries, talent attraction, signature buildings and consumer brand identities. Instead we need constructive suggestions for developing more original advantages in order to increase local prosperity.
These include:
- an improved evidence base on local capabilities
- encouraging a culture of experimentation, creativity and learning across the public and private sectors
- improving the ability of institutions to act in a coordinated way
- not forgetting the everyday requirements such as effective infrastructure
I have written a paper exploring these ideas in more detail. To read it click here.
It has also been published in Environment and Planning A, Vol. 41 (1) at doi:10.1068/a37379.
Posted on Friday, 23rd January 2009 | This entry has 1 comments
Graham Galpin | Wednesday, 28th January 2009 | 11:20 AM
It is always refreshing to hear or read Prof Turok’s challenge the sausage machine thinking of many spatial responses. Even at the highest regional levels RDAs appear to be encouraging artifical sectoral clusters, imagining that a transfusion of Culture, retail, ICT or other technology fix will solve local and regional problems. The emphasis in organic transformation utilising that special local spark can and must be the only truely sustainable way forward.