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Urban research in the knowledge economy: Content, context and outlook

May, T; Perry, B

Authors

T May

B Perry



Abstract

As discourses of knowledge-based growth and their spatial implications have
taken hold, the presuppositions about the relationship between urban research and
practice require systematic re-evaluation. Universities have become implicated in
local growth coalitions, not only as estate managers, but also as strategic actors,
employers or providers of evidence to inform policy. At the same time, the role of
research has been the subject of much debate, in terms of the need to demonstrate
user relevance, impact and value-added according to a range of economic, social,
cultural and environmental objectives. It is no longer only a question of what the
city means for the researcher but what research means for the city – and how those
concerns are mediated by the university as a site of knowledge production. In this
concluding article to the special issue, we examine these concerns via a discussion
of how changing socio-economic conditions create pressures on universities to
‘build knowledge cities’ and how they, in turn, relate to the contexts and cultures in
which urban research is produced.

Citation

May, T., & Perry, B. (2011). Urban research in the knowledge economy: Content, context and outlook. Built Environment, 37(3), 352-368

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jan 1, 2011
Deposit Date Jun 21, 2012
Journal Built Environment
Print ISSN 0263-7960
Publisher Alexandrine Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 37
Issue 3
Pages 352-368
Publisher URL http://www.alexandrinepress.co.uk/be_about_built_environment.php