Upgrading of Symbolic and Synthetic Knowledge Bases: Analysis of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry and the Automotive Industry in China

The degree and the way of upgrading differ widely per industry. This article tries to give some new insights in these differences by linking the concept of upgrading to that of the knowledge base. Moreover, we try to identify barriers to upgrading as well as the appropriate spatial scale on which upgrading takes place, again for different knowledge bases. We support our argument by analysing the process of upgrading in two industries in China: the AEC industry (in Beijing and Shanghai) and the automotive industry (in Shanghai). Within these industries we focus on upgrading on two levels: within firms and within projects. Our findings for both industries suggest that the principal ways of upgrading of the symbolic knowledge base are joint brainstorming in internal and external project teams and labour mobility. Major factors that hinder the upgrading of symbolic knowledge include the development stage of China, the Chinese educational system and tensions about duplication of western designs. Upgrading of the synthetic knowledge base takes mainly place via inter-company training programmes of foreign firms, technology transfer and labour mobility on the long run. A possible barrier for upgrading of synthetic knowledge, especially in the automotive industry, is that foreign firms tend to keep certain engineering activities in their home base because of the risk of knowledge leakage. However, this is changing quickly as many foreign carmakers and their suppliers invest in engineering centres in China due to an increasing demand for cars, to governmental regulations and to intensifying competition.Urban development, upgrading, automotive industry, AEC industry, knowledge economy, China.

Area Regeneration and Tourism Development. Evidence from Three European Cities

This paper discusses a key issue in the framework of modern urban development policies: the role of cultural tourism in processes of urban transformation. The analysis focuses specifically on how the emphasis on the symbolic in the restructuring of certain areas of the city may function like a spinwheel for the regeneration of urban economies, and on the stability of this process. The paper presents the cases of three European cities -Barcelona, Manchester and Rotterdam-, all of which are believed to be templates in cultural planning, and have been successful, to different extents, as tourism destinations. In the three cities, the peculiar relationship between area renewal through cultural development projects and tourism has unravelled in different ways that are revelatory of structural, as well as contingent, differences in tourism policy organisation and contexts, and that present different challenges for the future.Urban, revitalization, development, tourism, cultural assets

Towards a European Spatial Policy for Culture

The European space finds itself in a moment of profound change. On one hand it is adapting to the challenges that are inherent to the global, post-industrial economy. A shift from traditional manufacturing towards innovative and service oriented activities, the relocation of economic activities to countries where inputs, in particular labour, are cheaper, an ageing population in combination with growing in migration from non-member countries have an immediate impact on the Europe of Regions. On the other hand, the extension of the European Union towards the East inevitably triggers complex and Europe-wide processes of social, economic and territorial reorganization. In this context, the role of Cultural Heritage and Identity (CHI) may very well become a very crucial one. First of all, cultural heritage and identity are assets that are putting Europe in pole position with respect to the rest of the world, offering all European regions, no one excluded, unique social and economic development opportunities. They are important inputs for the creative industry and the tourist industry, two of the most important (the second already employs more than 10% of the global workforce) and dynamic sectors of the post-industrial economy. Moreover, cultural assets are typical place products that can not be separated nor moved from the regions they are located in. This makes these economic strictly bound to that location and impossible to re-localize. Thirdly, many cultural assets and traditions are not only points of reference for the local populations but for Europeans as such. Finally, in a Europe that is pursuing cohesion and competitiveness contemporarily, CHI forms sort of a natural bridge between two (apparently) not always compatible objectives. This means that CHI should become a cornerstone of European territorial policy.Cultural Heritage; Identity; Regional Development; Cultural Heritage Policies, Spatial Policies

The territorial dimension in EU policies: issues, opportunities and an application in the sphere of tourism

In an enlarged Europe of the regions, the need for EU policies to possess an explicit territorial dimension is undeniable. This paper, by analysing the fundamentals of the EU policies in the previous 2000-2006 and the current 2007-2013 planning period, looks at the implications of strengthening the role of space in the different policy programmes. It also looks at the specific role of tourism in EU policies and draws some conclusions regarding spatial planning at a EU level.EU, regional policies, territory, tourism

New culture-oriented economic development trajectories: the case study of four Dutch cities

Culture is a key ingredient of post-industrial, information-intensive economic activity. Culture-oriented economic development (COED) is emerging as a dominant paradigm, integrating the symbolic and creative elements into any aspect of the urban economy, pursuing distinction, innovativeness, and a higher level of interaction between localised individual and collective knowledge and globalising markets. This article presents a dynamic analysis of the effects of culture on the economic development trajectories of European cities. It may contribute to shed more light on the relevance of cultural industries for spatial development, addressing issues such as: cultural endowment, identity and urban competitiveness; dispersed vs. concentration; cultural participation and social inclusion. The analysis uses data collected within the ESPON project 1.3.3 and other information of qualitative and quantitative nature collected by EURICUR in occasion of a study of a sample of European cities . In this paper we present the investigation conducted in the three largest Dutch cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague, which are part of the city-region of the Randstand, and the fifth largest Dutch city, Eindhoven, one the most important economic and educational centres in the Netherlands.Cultural industry, urban economy, creativity, sustainable development, The Netherlands

Designing the Dragon or does the Dragon Design? An Analysis of the Impact of the Creative Industry on the Process of Urban Development of Beijing, China

After reading Richard Florida’s work (e.g. Florida, 2003) on the creative industry and on the importance of the creative class for urban development in post-industrial economies, many cities in Europe and the USA have started to invest in creativity in general and in design in particular. Much less is known about the role of creativity in industrial economies. This paper analyses the role of design in the economic and social development of China’s political and cultural capital Beijing. We will try to identify the main success factors and barriers for the design business and show how design can be further used for social and economic development of the city. Backed up by conspicuous state investments and by fast decision making, industrial areas have been transformed and neighbourhoods have been revitalised, infrastructure has been upgraded, and some modern iconic landmarks are added to the collection of old monuments. Moreover, priority has changed from “Made in China” to “Create in China”, allowing economic activities to move upwards in the value chain. Nevertheless, and despite the presence of key research and art institutes, further developments of the design sector and the use of design in other (manufacturing) sectors will still be a huge challenge.Creative Industry, Design, Urban Development, Industrial Economy, Beijing, China

Place Marketing, Governance and Tourism Development. Or How to Design the Perfect Regional Tourist Board?

The principal scope of this paper is to reconstruct the chain-of-command that regards the implementation of a regional tourism development strategy, in particular the tourism marketing policy. Starting point of the analysis was the assumption that the quality of the governance of these organisations is one of the factors that may explain the success of a tourist destination. Thereto, an international comparative study into the role of the organizational structure, of organizing capacity and of governance on the effectiveness of tourism promotion and territorial marketing was organised. By comparing four different case studies, Catalunya (E), Rhone-Alpes (F), Scotland (UK) and Trentino (I), worst and best practices have been identified, and an answer to the question whether there exists such a thing as an ideally structured organisation that deals with territorial and tourism marketing at the regional level has been sought.Tourism Marketing, Governance, Regional Tourist Organisations, Tourism Policy

Mapping the Dynamics of European Culture - Pressure and Opportunities from the European Enlargement

This paper develops an analytic framework for the ESPON 1.3.3 project “The Role and Spatial Effects of Cultural Heritage and Identity”, started in December 2004 by a network of 12 European Universities under the leadership of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. The conceptual framework of this project lies on the assumption that the cultural heritage of Europe is not just an ensemble of tangible assets to be defended through passive conservation, but rather an element of dynamism of the territory, affecting trajectories of regional development. Thus the proper identification and valorisation of the cultural heritage of Europe is to be considered an integral component of regional planning, with the potential to increase cohesion within an enlarged European Union. The establishment of an “European identity”, gaining from difference and variety, is also part of this vision. In this light, the ESPON 1.3.3 project sets out to highlight the spatial expressions and effects of heritage assets and identify the (existing or potential) elements of territorial coherence at the regional and local scale, mapping the geographical aspects that are actually strengthening regional identities and networks. This paper introduces a list of regional indicators of the European cultural heritage and identity, reflecting elements such as heritage availability, concentration and diversity, spatial patterns at the local and cross-regional level, local embeddedness of intangible heritage assets, pressures on- and potential for the development of heritage, and the governance structure of the heritage management institutions. Parameters are quantitative and qualitative observation allowing the “ordering” of the territory and thus the identification of regional typologies from the elaboration of different ordering criteria. Indicators will cover multiple dimensions regarding the supply, the demand and the spatial organisation of cultural heritage. Data cover the whole NUTS III regional delimitation. The issue of the territorial cohesion of cultural heritage assets is also addressed, considering the following multiple “dimensions” of the interconnection between different “objects” or carriers of meaning: hardware (the infrastructural system), software (images and actual uses), orgware (organizational networks) and shareware (partnerships that support the process of development). These elements are compiled in a framework or model used to analyse the territorial expressions of cultural heritage and identity.

Tourism Peaks on the Three Peaks. Using big data to monitor where, when and how many visitors impact the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site

Overtourism studies are increasingly focused on the relationship between tourists and residents. This includes the livability of the destination and the well-being of its residents; the growth of the tourism sector (particularly unchecked or unlimited growth), as well as the threat to natural heritage, such as beaches and mountains. A number of researchers have also highlighted the popularity of the term, as well as the lack of a theoretical understanding of the implications of it, and practical solutions to the problems posed by overtourism. This research aims to monitor the impact of, and understand the problems posed by, overtourism through approaching the phenomenon through the lens of big data analytics. The location of this research is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Italy, namely the Dolomites. By using telco data, we were able to apply a big data analysis of a destination in order to monitor the movement of tourists and day visitors. By analyzing their behaviour at the destination, it has been possible to quantify daily visitors and analyse how they impact this natural site. In addition, it has been possible to compare statistical data with big data, which offers new insights into tourism at the destination. This research, by exploiting the value of big data in tourism, creates a heritage usage rate as well as new indicators for the measurement of overtourism. Ultimately, this can help to control tourism flows and mitigate negative externalities.Overtourism studies are increasingly focused on the relationship between tourists and residents. This includes the livability of the destination and the well-being of its residents; the growth of the tourism sector (particularly unchecked or unlimited growth), as well as the threat to natural heritage, such as beaches and mountains. A number of researchers have also highlighted the popularity of the term, as well as the lack of a theoretical understanding of the implications of it, and practical solutions to the problems posed by overtourism. This research aims to monitor the impact of, and understand the problems posed by, overtourism through approaching the phenomenon through the lens of big data analytics. The location of this research is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Italy, namely the Dolomites. By using telco data, we were able to apply a big data analysis of a destination in order to monitor the movement of tourists and day visitors. By analyzing their behaviour at the destination, it has been possible to quantify daily visitors and analyse how they impact this natural site. In addition, it has been possible to compare statistical data with big data, which offers new insights into tourism at the destination. This research, by exploiting the value of big data in tourism, creates a heritage usage rate as well as new indicators for the measurement of overtourism. Ultimately, this can help to control tourism flows and mitigate negative externalitie

Tourism Observatories for monitoring MED destinations performance. The case of ShapeTourism project

Following the precedent set by the Tourism Observatory (TO) run by the European Commission-DG GROW a few years ago, several initiatives have taken place to design and manage tourism observatories at both the transnational and local level. However, these initiatives do not yet seem able to provide adequate operational responses to the challenges that the Commission launched with the original TO. While the opportunities offered by the Web 2.0 still do not seem to have been sufficiently taken advantage of, such initiatives also have not yet developed suitable methodologies to operationally include the tourism industry in the studies and monitoring performed by the TOs. This work presents the lesion learnt from the ShapeTourism prototype including two different tools: an observatory with official and unofficial indicators, and a simulation tool to predict different scenarios and different sustainability levels, designed specifically to overcome the aforementioned limits. The prototype was tested in 2017 on the entire eligible area of the 2014-2020 MED Programme covering 52 regions. The potentialities of this tool are shown through the creation on indicators, benchmarking and applications