Socio-spatial implications for the knowledge city by Dion van Dijk

| GRUADUATION PROJECT |

Socio-spatial implications for the knowledge city The case of the Brainport Eindhoven region

The global transition from a manufacturing economy towards a knowledge economy has shifted the balance of what factors are most important to cities and urban regions in their racebid to remain competitive. Creative and innovative industries whichwhose focuss is on research and development are the main driving forces of the knowledge society, bearing social and spatial implications for the everyday environment. Apart from that, it also repositions urban planning as a profession.

Dion van Dijk Stijlgroep Landscape and Urban Design TU Delft

Changing time, changing role

As the market has shifted from being supply-driven to being demand-driven, the needs of (future) users have taken a central role. Coupled with the current and economic recession, this has a huge impact on the way we develop projects. To put it plainly, with less money available, fewer risks are taken. The structure of large-scale developments is contracting. Big market parties and the government are forced to be less ambitious and to involve more stakeholders such as residents, small developers, and entrepreneurs. Therefore new plans must be adopted to deal with this. Today’s urban planner needs to strike a balance between matters of collective importance and individual liberties. He or she will have to assume various roles: as a designer, as a draughtsman, and as a curator. Their task is no longer to make a blueprint, but rather, to create a flexible framework of conditions in which certain, yet undefined, developments can take place. The role of the urbanist is presently changing from that of planner to facilitator.

the following types of work environments: breeding places, creative workshops, transactional environments, and places of production. For urban planners and policy makers, the challenge then is to ensure that a city and its surrounding region offer a rich variety of work environments to support the development of creative industries which, in turn, benefits the innovative output and entire economy of the region. Brainport Eindhoven Region: the Dutch Knowledge Powerhouse

In the master thesis Brainport’s Life Cycle, this model is applied to the Brainport Eindhoven region, the powerhouse of the Dutch knowledge economy. Multinationals like Philips, ASML and NXP which collectively have the country’s highest expenditures in research and development, are located in this region. This development is globally recognized: last year the region was even designated as the world’s smartest region.

Facilitating innovative activities

Research on entrepreneurship suggests the importance of the working environment for creative and innovative industries, in particular. This concerns not only the office space, but extends to include also support facilities, meeting spaces, and the proximity to other relevant professionals. The spatial qualities of the working environment support companies throughout their various phases of development, with each phase characterized by a different type of climate with its own attendant support function. According to the life cycle model proposed by theorists Saris and Modder (2005), creative and innovative companies undergo four distinct phases of development. Each phase is characterized by an experimental or market-oriented character, and an introverted or extroverted character. This categorisation results in 52

2 However, figures also show a declining number of start-ups in the Brainport Eindhoven region. This is potentially a serious threat to that reputation, as entrepreneurship is seen as the economic engine of the regional knowledge society. In order to reverse this trend, future plans need to adjust to meet the demands of innovative industries, and particularly those of small entrepreneurs and startups. As yet, the Brainport Eindhoven region does not offer the different types of environments required by these creative and innovative entrepreneurs. Local government policies have led to the development of business and science parks on the periphery of the city. The majority of the creative and innovative companies are therefore located on these traditional industrial sites. The result is that new industries are expected to find their feet in locations that do not meet their needs in the start-up phase. Meanwhile, the city of Eindhoven has in its existing urban environment a host of potential locations for starting companies. Centrally located small-scale industrial sites that are currently unused or neglected can be transformed into new work environments for start-ups and entrepreneurs, with the added advantage of the sites’ the industrial past as identifier. And when the need arises, entrepreneurs should be able to upgrade their own environment by adding new programs such as exhibition halls, bars, or even living spaces. The results would be new, attractive city areas that benefit both entrepreneurs and city dwellers. Due to their central location, it is even possible to connect the start-up environment with other knowledge hotspots in the Brainport region, such as the university campus, the conference centre Evoluon, and creative district Strijp-S. The (partly existing) Bus Rapid Transit network can connect these hotspots with infrastructural hubs like the central train station and Eindhoven Airport, resulting in the creation of a new urban knowledge network throughout the entire region.

Impulse for the city

This strategy of inner city development offers an alternative to the current policy in the Brainport region. Through the redevelopment of small-scale industrial sites, the region consists of more and different work environments that give innovative entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop from sole proprietorships into perhaps multinational. In this way, the strategy responds to the needs of individuals in the different phases of their development and, ultimately, contributes to the innovative output of the region. Perhaps the greatest benefit is that the entrepreneurs can make use of activities, facilities, and amenities in the existing urban environment, while their activities give a new pulse to the city and its inhabitants as a whole. ■

References Saris and Modder (2005) Creative spaces in the Netherlands, ISOCARP