According to the third strategic plan for the development of the city of barcelona (Barcelona, 1999b): “In the new context of globalization and the European Union, Barcelona, as the metropolitan region and capital of Catalonia, should press forward with a social and urban economic transformation process in order to place itself amongst the leading group of urban regions in the new information and knowledge society of the 21st century ...”. The general council and the executive board responsible for the implementation of this strategic plan, chose five strategic lines, with main points being “knowledge” and the “own strengths” of Barcelona. Strategic line 3 involved the concept of “city of knowledge”. A new councilor was added to the city’s political structure, who works horizontally within the city administration and is responsible for the project called “City of Knowledge”. The new councilor’s task is to make this concept an integral part of the policies of other departments – culture, tourism and urban development – with the concurrent support of the important agencies in knowledge production, transfer and application.
The success of the concept is particularly dependent on the private sector’s initiatives and actions. In this respect, Barcelona attempts to stimulate private sector with two types of measures: on the one side, by providing the basic infrastructure which is considered necessary – energy infrastructure, communication infrastructure, transport systems etc. – and on the other side by encouraging, through the appropriate regulations, the development of buildings for “knowledge” businesses.
Moreover, the offices of economic promotion, employment, tourism and commerce use the concept of “city of knowledge” in its activities, mostly through Barcelona Activa, which is an autonomous company fully sponsored by the City Hall and responsible for the overall economic development of Barcelona. Some of Barcelona Activa’s latest projects are related to the “City of Knowledge” strategy:
Barcelona Net Activa, a virtual community based on Internet/intranet/extranet technologies. It provides support to business people, accommodating a virtual community of enterprises and promoting the creation of enterprises through co-operation, innovation and continuous learning.
Cibernàrium, an “Internet multispace” for the professional and business community. Its main objective is to bring new technologies closer to enterprises, professionals, students and all the people interested in the opportunities offered by a knowledge society.
Infopime, a project that pursues the objective of creating an efficient communications system between Barcelona City Council and businesses, via a web site.
Barcelona Emprèn, a venture capital company addressed specifically to satisfy the financial needs of small innovative enterprises, for their development. The financing is derived from the municipality of Barcelona, financial institutions, insurance companies and large enterprises of the city.
It must be noted that the concept of knowledge city has quickly gained interest in Barcelona. All agencies involved in the implementation of Barcelona’s strategic plan, including local authorities, participated with equal power in the process of setting the priorities. In this way, the relations between public and private parties were strengthened. In addition, the appointment of the councilor mentioned above, made clear that the city wishes to use its innovative capacities to their full potential. The remaining question is whether the investments in knowledge and new innovative firms will eventually result to the anticipated economic success story that is anticipated. It is hoped that the presence of many small knowledge-intensive companies in certain sectors will make the city an important economic center and that bigger companies will be attracted by this environment.
The success of the concept is particularly dependent on the private sector’s initiatives and actions. In this respect, Barcelona attempts to stimulate private sector with two types of measures: on the one side, by providing the basic infrastructure which is considered necessary – energy infrastructure, communication infrastructure, transport systems etc. – and on the other side by encouraging, through the appropriate regulations, the development of buildings for “knowledge” businesses.
Moreover, the offices of economic promotion, employment, tourism and commerce use the concept of “city of knowledge” in its activities, mostly through Barcelona Activa, which is an autonomous company fully sponsored by the City Hall and responsible for the overall economic development of Barcelona. Some of Barcelona Activa’s latest projects are related to the “City of Knowledge” strategy:
Barcelona Net Activa, a virtual community based on Internet/intranet/extranet technologies. It provides support to business people, accommodating a virtual community of enterprises and promoting the creation of enterprises through co-operation, innovation and continuous learning.
Cibernàrium, an “Internet multispace” for the professional and business community. Its main objective is to bring new technologies closer to enterprises, professionals, students and all the people interested in the opportunities offered by a knowledge society.
Infopime, a project that pursues the objective of creating an efficient communications system between Barcelona City Council and businesses, via a web site.
Barcelona Emprèn, a venture capital company addressed specifically to satisfy the financial needs of small innovative enterprises, for their development. The financing is derived from the municipality of Barcelona, financial institutions, insurance companies and large enterprises of the city.
It must be noted that the concept of knowledge city has quickly gained interest in Barcelona. All agencies involved in the implementation of Barcelona’s strategic plan, including local authorities, participated with equal power in the process of setting the priorities. In this way, the relations between public and private parties were strengthened. In addition, the appointment of the councilor mentioned above, made clear that the city wishes to use its innovative capacities to their full potential. The remaining question is whether the investments in knowledge and new innovative firms will eventually result to the anticipated economic success story that is anticipated. It is hoped that the presence of many small knowledge-intensive companies in certain sectors will make the city an important economic center and that bigger companies will be attracted by this environment.
No comments:
Post a Comment