Mark's presentation demonstrates how the Triple Helix model enables us to study the knowledge base of an urban economy in terms of civil society’s support for the evolution of cities as key components of innovation systems. It argues that cities can be considered as densities in networks among three relevant dynamics: the intellectual capital of universities, industry of wealth creation and their participation in the democratic government of civil society. It goes on to suggest the effects of these interactions generate dynamic spaces within cities where knowledge can be exploited to bootstrap the technology of regional innovation systems. Dynamic spaces, this paper suggests, that can best be explored through the all-pervasive technologies of information-based communications (ICTs) and those which are currently being exploited to generate the notion of “smart cities,” as the knowledge base of regional innovation systems.

1. The Triple Helix of Smart Cities
Mark Deakin, Edinburgh Napier University
School of Engineering and Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier
University, Edinburgh, EH10 5DT, Scotland: m.deakin@napier.ac.uk

3. The triple helix
Unlike other accounts of knowledge production, the
Triple Helix model:
• studies networks of university-industry-government
relations and offers a neo-evolutionary model of a
knowledge-based economy;
• proposes the three evolutionary functions shaping the
selection environments of a knowledge-based
economy are: (i) organized knowledge production,
(ii) the intellectual capital of economic wealth
creation and (iii) reflexive control;
• suggests that as reflexivity is always involved in
knowledge production, the functions which they serve
are not given, but socially constructed.

4. The triple helix of (smart) cities
From this neo-evolutionary perspective, the knowledge-base
economy of cities can be modelled as networks of organized
knowledge production. That is to say, networks of organized
knowledge production in which:
• universities generate intellectual capital, industry create
economic wealth and government regulate civil society;
• the dynamic inter-play of their intellectual capital, creativity and
regulation promote innovation;
• the innovation is systematic, networked and organized around
information and communication technologies (ICTs);
• the services this produces are in turn subject to the reflexivity of
social construction.

5. the proposition
Using this model, it is also possible to suggest:
• The dynamics currently at play in the reflexive overlay of these
technologies, are themselves being exploited to generate the
notion of:
• “creative cities” (Landry, 2008);
• “intelligent cities” as the knowledge base of such creativity
(Komninos, 2008);
• “smart cities” whose creativity is even “smarter” (Hollands, 2008).
Not just in the way their technologies generate intellectual capital, or
create economic wealth, but communities within environments that
co-produce knowledge in innovation systems which are sufficiently
creative to co-evolve with the socially-constructive nature of such
developments;
• “selection environments” (Deakin, 2010). That co-produce knowledge
in innovation systems which are able to co-evolve as part of a meta-
stabilization. That is by way of environments which replace the
destabilizing, dis-organizing and fragmentation tendencies of
existing systems, through the configuration of a “smarter” alternative
offering a socially-constructive integration….. of the services under
development.

6. The typology
emerging smart cities typology eGov service development stages policy drivers
service developments in knowledge economy
and information society
• “creative cities” of ideas and
• Customisation • Information • Competition
learning (Landry, 2008);
• “intelligent cities” as the • Communication • Competition and social
knowledge base of such learning • Capacity-building
cohesion
and creativity (Komninos, 2008);
• “smart cities” whose creativity is • Co-design of services • Transaction • Competition, social
even “smart-er” (Hollands, 2008). cohesion and
Not just in the way the ICTs of environmental quality
community development generate
intellectual capital, or create
wealth, but environments that
govern the collective learning and
co-production of knowledge in
innovation systems which are
sufficiently creative to co-evolve
with such regional innovation
systems;
• “selection environments” that • Multi-channel • Customer- • Transformational
collectively learn from and co- communications centric government as a basis
produce knowledge in innovation related to given user- • User-friendly for sustainable
systems which are able to co- profiles • Open, development
evolve as part of a meta- transparent,
stabilization. That is by way of accountable
environments which replace the and
destabilizing, dis-organizing and democratic
fragmentation tendencies of
existing systems, through the
configuration of a “smarter”
alternative offering the prospect of
integration.

7. The critical insight
Seeing cities as a co-evolutionary mechanism for the meta-
stabilization of existing institutional arrangements offers a critical
insight taking us beyond the dismantling of national systems and
construction of regional advantages, i.e. that “terms of reference”
which currently falls under the remit of “innovations systems”.
It suggests:
• the reinvention of cities which is currently taking place
cannot be defined as a top-level “trans-disciplinary” issue
without a considerable amount of “bottom-up” cultural
reconstruction.
• this cultural reconstruction has not yet been given the
consideration it demands. For existing accounts tend to reify
the global status of the process and fail to appreciate the
meta-stabilizing dynamic of the technologies underlying this
and supporting the knowledge-based economy.

8. Getting beyond national and – The triple helix represents the “modes” of
regional systems communication currently operating as the
informational technologies (ICTs) of such
It is the potential of this “manifestations”.
cultural reconstruction to – “Manifestations” of organized knowledge
work as a meta-stabilizing production whose generation of intellectual
dynamic and reflexive layer
that lies behind the surge capital, creation of economic wealth and ICTs
of academic interest which produce a meta-stabilizing dynamic.
is currently being directed – That meta-stabilization played out on a global
at communities as the stage and within (trans-national) regions,
“practical” manifestation whose ICT-related environments not only
of organized knowledge reflect, but are the medium by which their
production and the cultural reconstruction becomes manifest.
intellectual capital of
wealth creation. This goes manifest as “world class” cities, not
– Becomes some way to account for why
the ICT-related the intellectual capital they
just in terms of environments of e-
government are currently such critical but
generate, or economic wealth this creates,
issues and to the ICT-related environments civil
in relation the e-service developments
society assembles as a means to govern the
associated of thisthem are also so
standards with regulating dynamic.
significant.

9. the SmartCities baseline study
University
60.0
50.0
First Cut
40.0
Knowledge 30.0 Learning
20.0 http://www.smartcities.info
10.0
EU27
0.0
Smart cities
Smart Cities in the
Industry Government
North Sea Region:
Bremerhaven
University: % people aged 20-24 Edinburgh
enrolled in tertiary education
Industry: Number of companies per
Groningen
1,000 inhabitants Karlstad
Government: % labour force in Kortrijk
government sector-L to Q
Learning: Labour force with ISCED 5
Market Kortrijk region
and 6 education Kristiansand
Market: Per capita GDP
Knowledge: Patent applications to the
Norfolk
EPO per 1,000 inhabitants Osterholz-Scharmbeck
Baseline data is for 2006

10. the SmartCities baseline study University
60.0
Second Cut knowledge economy50.0 Information Society
40.0 i2010
Knowledge 30.0 Learning
http://www.smartcities.inf
20.0
o
10.0
e-services IP
EU27
0.0
Smart cities
Smart Cities in the
North Sea Region:
Industry Government
Bremerhaven
University: % people aged 20-24 Edinburgh
enrolled in tertiary education
Industry: Number of companies per ICT-related Groningen
1,000 inhabitants employment RTD Karlstad
Government: % labour force in Kortrijk
government sector-L to Q
Learning: Labour force with ISCED 5 Kortrijk region
and 6 education Market Kristiansand
Market: Per capita GDP
Knowledge: Patent applications to the
Norfolk
EPO per 1,000 inhabitants Osterholz-Scharmbeck
Baseline data is for 2006

11. The emergence of “world class” cities:
the case of Montreal
• Montreal is recognized as a city particularly successful in
reinventing itself as “world class” and emerging as a
“creative” force within the region (Florida, 2004; Slolarick and
Florida, 2006).
• So far the only thing offered to explain the growth of
Montreal as a leading exponent of “cultural reconstruction”
has been a list of enabling conditions, such as:
• a strong research, development and technological culture;
• university involvement underpinned by industry;
• industry supported by policy makers, strong leadership and
corporate strategies directed towards the creative sector.
This reconstruction thesis is sometimes referred to as “picking
up and capitalising on the creative slack”

12. some marginal notes on the • The cultural reconstruction of cities like Montreal show how
evolving cultural reconstruction the creative ecology of an entrepreneur-based and market
Breaking News..... Triple Helix - representation of knowledge-intensive firms, is
dependent Building a Canadian Social
of “world class” cities
Innovation Marketplace currently in the process of being replaced with a community
of policy makers, academic leaders and corporate strategists.
The Canadian government has issued an in turncall for input on how to so much
• Communities that open have the potential not
their R&D innovation system could be improved. Despite pumping from the
“rise-up as a creative class”, but liberate cities in
over $7 billion a year the country continues to fallpreviously been locked into by
stagnation which they have further and further
behind other nations in offering them freedomcapability. polices, with the academic
terms of innovation to develop
leadership and corporate strategies capable of reaching
Using the Triple Helixevidencebeyond thethat many Canadian universities are
The balance of suggests idea of “creative slack”.
• To reach beyond this and for something smart-er,
first-rate scientific institutions. But in the context of the knowledge- cities need
model, it can be
recognized such a cultural nottheir intellectual capital to notcountry's universities
based economy, it is considered sufficient for a only meet the requirements of
reconstruction of cities economic wealth creation, but become the regional centres
to produce groundbreaking scientific research in isolation. A growing
however liberal and of such “knowledge producing communities”. Knowledge
potentially free, is not suggests that effective links between the three
body of research producing communities whose intellectual capital and
merely the creative
principle innovation funding/performing sectorsisof academia, by virtue of the
economic wealth creation distinguished business
outcome of market
economics, but of the are an academic leadership, corporate strategies and ICT-enabled
and government important contributor to a successful national
innovation system.
policies, academic environments understood to be socially-constructive in
leadership and corporate opening-up, reflexively absorbing and discursively shaping
strategies which operate the governance of such developments.
Source: Cloud Computing Journal, January, 6th, 2011
within ICT-enabled
environments .

13. Thank you......
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