Speaker
Description
As a flagship project of intergovernmental collaboration between China and Singapore, the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) has not only catalyzed regional economic growth but also emerged as an important case of transnational urban planning knowledge transfer and spillover. This study focuses on the dynamic flow of planning knowledge within SIP, investigating how Singapore's urban planning concepts, management strategies, and policy frameworks have been effectively localized in Suzhou and subsequently disseminated to other regions in China and internationally. By bridging global expertise with local contexts, SIP serves as a critical model for understanding how transnational knowledge can drive urban development and innovation.
Grounded in the theories of knowledge transfer and spillover, this research systematically analyzes the mechanisms through which Singapore’s urban planning knowledge is adapted into practices tailored to China’s local development needs. It emphasizes the roles of planning implementation, policy mobility, and talent exchange in facilitating this transformation. Furthermore, the study explores how SIP’s accumulated planning and governance experience has expanded across the Yangtze River Delta and beyond, through policy adaptation, demonstration zone replication, and regional partnerships—ultimately shaping a distinctive urban development model with Chinese characteristics.
This study contends that the China-Singapore cooperation model fosters a multidimensional knowledge transfer process that extends beyond the straightforward transfer of explicit knowledge. It involves the deep absorption, internalization, and innovative reconfiguration of tacit knowledge, leading to profound transformations and secondary spillover effects. Within the strategic context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), SIP’s successful planning practices and the "Singapore Model" are poised to further diffuse into emerging markets across Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Africa, advancing cross-regional knowledge exchange and sustainable urban development.
By uncovering the complex pathways of knowledge localization and re-exportation, this study not only enriches theoretical understandings of transnational knowledge flows but also provides actionable insights for future international collaboration in urban planning. It highlights SIP as a scalable model for urban development along the Belt and Road and underscores the importance of adaptive knowledge governance in fostering sustainable and inclusive cities worldwide.
| Keywords | Regional Collaboration; Transnational Knowledge Transfer; Planning Knowledge; Knowledge Spillover |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
