1. CCHS - Consejo Superior de
ssasas
Investigaciones Científicas (Spain) ssasas
Faculdade Letras –
Universidade do Porto (Portugal)
New urban spaces of interaction in the knowledge based society
Patrícia ROMEIRO
Learning Cities in the
Knowledge Based Society
Milan, 9-10-11 October 2008
Fellowship from the Fundação para a Ciência e
Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência e Ensino Superior
(Portugal)

2. CONTEXT
XXI Century The “Century of Knowledge”
(Taichi Sakaya, 1991; Peter Drucker, 1994,..)
At the territorial (urban) context …. Knowledge City (Van Winden & Van den Berg,
2004; Ergazakis et al., 2004;..)
“… is a city that aims at a knowledge based development, by encouraging the continuous
creation, sharing, evaluation, renewal and update of knowledge” (…) “this can be achieved
though the continuous interaction between its citizens” (Ergazakis et al., 2004:7).
This requires intentionality and planning…..
The city’s appropriate design, ICT networks and physical spaces that support
these interactions (Ergazakis et al., 2004).

3. PRELIMINARY REMARKS AND TABLE OF
CONTENTS
MAIN QUESTION
i) What kind of innovative urban spaces have been planned, to stimulate a higher
density of the interactions among the urban actors (in a broader sense).
… in addition …
ii) What are the main challenges for urban planning in the Knowledge Society (KS)
• STUDY: i) theoretical study, ii) Spanish examples
STRUCTURE
1. New values and urban functions
2. New (and renew) urban spaces of interaction
3. Challenges for urban planning in the KS
4. Main conclusions and issues for reflection

4. 1. NEW VALUES AND URBAN FUNCTIONS
Cities
Preferential cores of the territorial competition in the KS (Gordon & Buck, 2007;
Sassen, 2002; Knight, 1995)
Competition strategies based on the attraction of:
i) New activities (new specialized services – informatics, design, cultural production, …)
ii) New functions (territories of production … but also territories of consumption )
iii) New residents (attraction of “creative” and “high skilled” workers)
“places to live, work, learn and play”
CITIES
“places of interaction”

5. 2. NEW (AND RENEW) URBAN SPACES OF
INTERACTION
Interaction spaces always have been important to cities (Agora, Forum, …)
But nowadays … they gain a renew protagonism and new characteristics
Industrial Society: Spaces of intense knowledge circulation:
Knowledge = Science&Technology i) Out of the inner city
Urban Planning = Functional Logic ii) Apart from other urban functions
(residential, commercial, etc.)
Knowledge Society: Regeneration of the core urban areas
Knowledge = not only Science&Technology with production activities and “formal
Urban Planning = Multifunctional Logic knowledge production” organizations
i) Renewing and re-shaping urban landscapes
ii) Altering the city’s spatial organisation and structure.
iii) Social impacts (new residents with new demands)

6. 2. (cont.)
New (and renew) urban spaces of (intense) interaction … some categories
i) iHubs
Main differences
ii) Living labs
i) Scale of intervention (small, large)
iii) Cultural and leisure clusters/quarters
ii) Dominant activity (economic,
iv) Science shops residential, cultural, …)
v) Squares iii) Promoter (public, private, mixed
partnership)
vi) Libraries
vii) …

7. 2. (cont.)
Some Examples (Spain)
N
BARCELONA
MADRID

8. 2. (cont.)
i) Large scale intervention
Eje Prado-Recoletos (Madrid) Urban reconversion
Promoter: Public (partnership)
Thyssen Main activity: cultural, leisure
Planning elements:
green space creation, traffic restrictions
and new cultural infrastructures.
CaixaForum
Other cultural
organizations
...
Prado
Reina Sofía

9. 2. (cont.)
i) Large scale intervention
La Marina Quarter (Barcelona) Urban regeneration
N Promoter: Public (in partnership)
Main activity: residential, economical, leisure,
etc.
Planning elements: houses (some social
houses), sustainable mobility, cultural&social
centres, research centres, etc.) – 75 ha

10. 2. (cont.)
ii) Small scale intervention
Plaza Santo Domingo (Madrid) Urban regeneration
Promoter: Public
Main activity: leisure
Planning elements: new square

11. 2. (cont.)
ii) Small scale intervention
Plaza Santo Domingo (Madrid) Urban regeneration
Promoter: Public
Main activity: leisure
Planning elements: new square

12. 3. CHALENDGES FOR URBAN PLANNING IN THE
KS
XIX century → significantly different urban environment
High …
i) territorial complexity (economic, social, cultural, etc.)
ii) diversity of urban actors
iii) diversity of activities Challenges to
urban planning
New …
iv) urban functions
v) “ingredients” to competitiveness

13. 3. (cont.)
Urban planning practices can be renewed through:
Humanism
Communication
i) the articulation of a new set of political-ethical ideals Interactivity
(Borja, 2003)
Sustainability
Distinctiveness
Culture
Knowledge
ii) implementation of a new type of intervention projects
Creativity
ICT

14. 4. MAIN CONCLUSIONS AND ISSUES FOR
RELFECTION
Significantly different urban environment (higher territorial complexity
and new elements for territorial competitiveness)
Knowledge Society – creation of dense and multifunctional urban spaces
in the city
It is earlier to evaluate with precision the repercussions of these new
spaces of interaction, but it is important be attentive…

15. 4. (cont.) … some reflections …..
Cities as core centres in the KS, but also places of (knowledge)
exclusion
Urban planning - integrate new values and practices in the KS
Planning as part of the political process rather than a technical activity
(mediator role of urban planners)
BOUNDARIES, COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKS IN PLANNING PRACTICES
REDUCTION
PROMOTION
SUPPORT

16. Learning Cities in the
Knowledge Based Society
Milan, 9-10-11 October 2008
Thank you.
Patrícia ROMEIRO (patricia.romeiro@cchs.csic.es)
PhD student at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain) and Oporto
University (Portugal)