L'ASCESA DELLA CLASSE CO-CREATIVA: LA RIGENERAZIONE URBANA GUIDATA DALL'INNOVAZIONE SOSTENIBILE

Abstract

Whilst innovation-led urban regeneration is effective on boosting local economic development, its contribution to achieving inclusive growth is still a highly contentious matter. Recent studies demonstrated the nexus between knowledge- driven and innovation- led urban development and raising inequality, thus eliciting the adoption of proper methodologies and instruments capable to detect potential issues and steer possible positive outcomes. This paper aims at demonstrating how a novel approach on data visualisation applied to spatial planning may support a better understanding of potential impacts on innovation-driven urban development. In so doing, it offers new insights to spatial planners and policy makers, allowing them to timely identify gaps in policies aimed at delivering innovation- drivel economic development in cities. To achieve this goal, this research adopts a single case study methodology, by purposely selecting the innovation district of Media City UK in the City of Salford. The case study allows demonstrating that (1) non-conventional indicators may be extremely helpful in supporting the understanding the rapidly changing phenomena related to innovation processes and (2) geographical boundaries should be kept flexible, to allow capturing the interconnections and flows generated by innovation processes. Furthermore, it is recommended that the alignment between sustainable urban development policies and innovation policies is ensured by policy and decision makers, by fully implementing innovation strategies within the urban agenda.