Title: Delft blues: the long road from university town to knowledge city

Authors: Arie Romein, Ana Maria Fernandez-Maldonado, Jan Jacob Trip

Addresses: OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, Jaffalaan 9, P.O. Box 5030, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands. ' Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 134, P.O. Box 5043, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands. ' OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, Jaffalaan 9, P.O. Box 5030, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract: Besides their teaching and research tasks, universities are increasingly expected to valorise knowledge into innovation. This involves new products, but also transdisciplinary knowledge exchange with people, technologies, firms and markets. This relates to knowledge-based urban development through a variety of locally-specific variables and features. This paper discusses the role of knowledge capacity in the development of the Dutch City of Delft. It emphasises the role of Delft University of Technology as a main player of Delft|s knowledge capacity, the qualities of the local production and consumption milieus and the role of local knowledge city policy. It explores the role and impact of knowledge capacity in urban development in a setting with mixed advantageous and disadvantageous qualities. The results suggest that the reason for the disappointing employment creation in Delft may be found particularly in the triple helix cooperation between government, knowledge institutions and industry.

Keywords: Delft; universities; knowledge cities; knowledge-based industry; knowledge-based development; university towns; urban development; knowledge capacity; higher education; triple helix cooperation; government; employment creation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKBD.2011.041245

International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, 2011 Vol.2 No.2, pp.148 - 165

Published online: 28 Nov 2014 *

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