Creative-based strategies in small and medium-sized cities: Key dimensions of analysis

The present article intends to contribute to the literature and research agenda regarding the importance of the creative economy as a driver for the revitalisation and development of small and medium-sized cities in Europe. Several studies argue that these territorial areas are necessarily doomed to failure and decline due to the lack of critical mass and density in terms of economic and institutional resources. However, some small towns are changing their development path towards a new ‘urban’ paradigm. The present research aims to identify and analyse a set of dimensions that have to be taken into consideration in the implementation of creative-based strategies in small and medium-sized cities, namely: governance factors, endogenous factors, and territorial embeddedness

As infraestruturas tecnológicas no "sistema de inovação" em Portugal.

Mestrado em Economia e Gestão de Ciência e Tecnologia.Estamos perante um "mundo novo", onde se destaca o elevado ritmo de mudança e a crescente importância do imaterial. É neste contexto que pode ser analisada a evolução das políticas públicas de I&DT, a nível europeu, de acordo com diferentes fases; os anos 60, que se caracterizam pela fraca coordenação entre as políticas científica e industrial; os anos 70, onde se afirma uma autêntica política de inovação; e, por fim, os anos 80 onde emerge a noção de política de desenvolvimento tecnológico ou política de inovação estratégica. Neste âmbito, surge o conceito de 'Sistema Nacional de Inovação' considerado como o enquadramento adequado para a definição das políticas públicas e para a actuação dos diferentes actores do processo de inovação. Reconhece-se, assim, a importância da interacção entre as diversas políticas, projectos, instituições e agentes envolvidos na área da Ciência e Tecnologia, o que apela à criação de instituições intermediárias ou de interface universidade-indústria. Em Portugal, apesar do desfasamento temporal em relação ao resto da Europa e das suas especificidades pofitico-institucionais, esta preocupação surge "pós-1986" e, principalmente, a partir dos anos 90 com a criação das Infraestmturas Tecnológicas no âmbito do PEDEP e, subsidiariamente, dos outros programas operacionais da CE. No modelo de IT proposto podemos diferenciar cinco dimensões básicas: as competências, o financiamento, os utilizadores, as actividades e as ligações ao exterior (rede). Estas irão servir de base à realização do estudo empírico - inquérito por questionário/entrevista - a realizar a uma amostra de TTs apoiadas no âmbito do PEDIP; os Centros Tecnológicos, os Institutos de Novas Tecnologias e os Centros de Transferência Tecnológica.We are facing a "new world", witfa relevance to a high rate of change and an increasing importance given to the "imaterial". In this context we can analyse the evolution of public policies of RT&D, in an european levei, according to different phases: the 60's, caracterized by a weak coordinahon between cientific and industrial policies; the 70's, where it stands an innovahon policy; and the SO^s when emerges a technology development policy or a strategic innovahon policy. In this period, appear a new concept - National Systems of Innovahon - considered as the most adequated framework for the definihon of public policy and for the act of different actors involved in the innovahon process. We can recognize this way the importance of interachon between the different policies, projects, inshtuhons and actors involved in C&T, which calls for the creahon of "bridges inshtuhons" In Portugal, although hme lag in relahon with the rest of Europe and also because of its politicai and inshtuhonal specifícihes, this concem appear after 1986 and, mainly, after the 90's, with the creahon of Technology Infrastructures (TI) in context ofPEDIP, and subsidiary, of the other operacional programmes of the EC. In the model of TI proposed, we can differenhate five criticai dimensions: competencies, funding, users, achvihes and "network". These will be used in the empirical study that will be done: Technological Centers, Technology Transfer Centers and New Technology Inshtutes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Creative-based strategies in small and medium-sized cities: Key dimensions of analysis

The present article intends to contribute to the literature and research agenda regarding the importance of the creative economy as a driver for the revitalisation and development of small and medium-sized cities in Europe. Several studies argue that these territorial areas are necessarily doomed to failure and decline due to the lack of critical mass and density in terms of economic and institutional resources. However, some small towns are changing their development path towards a new ‘urban’ paradigm. The present research aims to identify and analyse a set of dimensions that have to be taken into consideration in the implementation of creative-based strategies in small and medium-sized cities, namely: governance factors, endogenous factors, and territorial embeddedness

Engaging Young People in the Development of Innovative Nature-Inspired Technologies for Carbon Sequestration in Cities: Case Studies from Portugal

Currently, cities are the most vulnerable places on the planet to the effects of global change, both anthropogenic and climate-related, and this is not compatible with harmony and well-being regarding the economy, nature, and future generations. Young people have a unique potential to catalyze the transformative sustainable change that the planet needs now, as they are the first generation to grow up with tangible impacts of climate change. We tested a new strategy to empower young people to foster carbon neutrality in cities by engaging them in ecosystem services quantification and technological innovation to increase CO2 sequestration in two Portuguese cities. The species with best performance for carbon sequestration were M. exelsa in Porto and O. europea in Loulé, and for air pollutant removal and hydrological regulation were P. hispanica in Porto and P. pinea in Loulé. Through the innovative advanced summer program SLI, a nature-based learning experience, young people developed two new concepts of technological solutions to accelerate city decarbonization by designing a hedge for air pollution hotspots and a biodevice to be placed at bus stops using autochthonous shrubs and mosses. Initiatives like SLI contribute to a greater awareness among young people about the drivers that brought us to the current climate emergency, motivating them towards more balanced lifestyles and creating innovative nature-based solutions towards a smart and sustainable city