ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025

Creative and Innovation Districts in mid-size European cities: goals, impacts, and future directions

Not scheduled

20m

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul

Poster Track 09 | URBAN FUTURES

Speakers

Mrs Andra Marta Babre (Riga Technical University)Mr Emils Rode (Riga Technical University)

Description

This paper explores the urban typologies of the Creative District and the Innovation District, describing them in economic, social, and spatial terms, striving to understand their stated and achieved results and impacts, and on this basis to recommend policies that support urban development.
These two types of urban districts have some features in common, while differing in other aspects. As they progress through time, do creative districts always end with investment-driven gentrification, or are there examples of alternative pathways? Are innovation districts just corporate business parks with clever branding, or do they create value beyond financial profit? Hybrid models that evolve by combining the features of both Creative and Innovation districts are possible.
This paper undertakes comprehensive case studies of selected creative and innovation districts to understand their development, operational mechanisms, and impacts. It examines several Creative and Innovation districts in European mid-size cities to evaluate the guiding policies, economic and spatial conditions, common organising principles, operating principles, social and urban forms. The case studies involve an in-depth examination of each district's economic, social, and cultural dynamics, providing a holistic view of their contributions to urban growth.
The case study method involves collecting detailed qualitative and quantitative data on each district, including historical development, governance structures, economic performance, social integration, and cultural contributions. The researchers utilise interviews, archival research, direct observations, and other relevant data sources to build comprehensive profiles of each district.
The study then conducts a systematic comparative analysis to identify common factors and differences across the studied creative and innovation districts. This entails comparing key indicators and outcomes related to economic growth, job creation, investment attraction, community development, and cultural vibrancy. The analysis uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to draw meaningful comparisons and highlight best practices and unique challenges.
The research considers how these districts align with broader urban development goals such as equity, sustainability, and innovation, ensuring their relevance in a rapidly changing urban context. It also seeks to identify patterns in how Creative and Innovation districts address emerging challenges, such as digitalisation, climate resilience, and shifts in labour markets, providing a future-oriented perspective.
The paper assesses the impacts and effects of these districts in host cities in terms of economic and financial, social and community indicators. It further seeks to elaborate the generic parameters of a Creative district, those of an Innovation district, and to examine whether cases exist that combine the features of both typologies.
Based on the stated policy goals of both types of districts and their estimated impacts, the study seeks to assess whether the districts are achieving their objectives, and what, if any, external effects they have on the host cities beyond the district – whether positive or negative.
The study then seeks to distill and formulate the key success factors for a Creative district and an Innovation district, as well as for a potential hybrid type combining both typologies.
The paper concludes with economic and spatial-planning policy recommendations for urban planners, managers, and policy makers working with Creative and Innovation districts in mid-size European cities.

References

1 Florida, R. (2014). The Rise of the Creative Class--Revisited: Revised and Expanded. Basic Books
2 Porter, M. E. (1998). Clusters and the New Economics of Competition. Harvard Business Review.
3 Saxenian, A. L. (1994). Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128. Harvard University Press.
4 Lange, B., Kalandides, A., Stöber, B., & Mieg, H. A. (2008). Berlin’s creative industries: Governing creativity? Industry and Innovation, 15(5), 531-548.
5 Marques, L., Richards, G. (eds.) Creative districts around the world (2014). NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences