The knowledge cities: critical revision and applicability to intermediate cities

Abstract

Always considered an important resource, it is in the last decade that strategic knowledge management was become a reality with outstanding protagonism. Thus, in planning and urban development issues, the association between knowledge and the territorial competitiveness has lead to a proliferation of cities that self- denominate like knowledge cities. Knowledge cities, however, are often associated to city-region or big urban agglomerations, excluding from this debate fundamental areas in the European urban system, as they are intermediate cities. This article sets out a critical revision of the many allusive concepts to the increasing importance of the knowledge in urban development, and some components of urban development related to knowledge as well as indicators for their measurement. Finally, we set out a reflection on the opportunities and limitations of the intermediate cities to integrate the group of the cities that advance towards forms of development based on knowledge.