Wired Cities - Opportunities for small and medium sized cities on the Information Highway

摘要

Certainly one of the most fascinating developments in a world economy whose basic productive infrastructure is made up of information flows and communication media, are cities and regions becoming the "critical agents" of the economic development. Since regions and cities are more flexible in adapting to changing conditions of markets, technologies and culture, they have a greater response capacity to generate targeted development projects, encourage the growth and innovativeness of small and medium companies and create an overall innovative climate. Within these city developments we can distinguish two separate approaches. On one side "Technopoles" have been established, including various deliberate attempts to plan and promote, within one concentrated area, technologically innovative, industrial-related production as technology parks, science cities and the like. Examples are Silicon Valley (USA), Boston's Highway 128 (MIT, USA) or Sophia-Antipolis (France).