Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Smart Cities

'Policy and business leaders have been debating the merits of smart cities. This pathbreaking book paves the way in understanding why smart cities are so important and strategies to create smart cities.' - David B. Audretsch, Distinguished Professor, Indiana University 'This book provides an excellent opportunity to discuss, from different perspectives, the development of cities, under the contemporaneous paradigm of smart cities. There are a number of issues, associated to the debate over smart cities, such as innovation, economic development, social inclusion, and education, among others. Such dimensions are explored in the book, providing the opportunity to a deep exploration of the different perspectives of smart cities.' - Vitor Braga, Associate Professor and Head of the Business Sciences Department, Polytechnic of Porto 'Smart cities are an area of increasing interest for policy makers, academics, and industries seeking to meet the demands for related products. This book identifies a range of issues involved, including definitions of the smart city phenomenon and its rise within the context of creativity and culture, knowledge and innovation, entrepreneurship, digital technologies and sustainability. The competitiveness of urban spaces is also an important area discussed, particularly in terms of how territorial capital can be built to assist adjustments from old to new economic structures. Ways in which smart city concepts can be used to overcome social inequalities, improve liveability and community, and deliver public services more effectively are also evaluated. The role of important stakeholders such as entrepreneurial universities, entrepreneurial and urban planning concepts also form key chapters within the book. As such Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Smart Cities allows a broad overview of key issues created by this increasingly important area of research.' - David Pickernell, Professor of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Portsmouth Business School, University of Portsmouth 'Cities host entrepreneurial and innovative higher education institutions. This is a critical determinant factor of competitiveness, due to the specialisation and innovation generated both by demand and supply of a highly educated labour force, which encourages city residents to gain qualifications and attract qualified human capital from worldwide locations. Besides this, diversity and close interaction between highly skilled human resources in cities generate even more entrepreneurial and innovative activities. These are some of the multiple cornerstones addressed in this book, which contributes to a better understanding and positioning of several key problems concerning cities, namely, global competitiveness, regional development, innovation systems and multiple helix ecosystems, by integrating innovative dimensions of analysis such as institutional entrepreneurship and urban planning.' - Joao Leitao, University of Beira Interior & CEG-IST, University of Lisbon, Portugal