26th OCTOBER 2009.
Page 1 of 1
Mail to GPO Box 3375,
Melbourne VIC 3001,
AUSTRALIA
Fax +61 3 8610 2001
Office Level 50,
120 Collins St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
AUSTRALIA
Phone +61 3 9225 5284
Web 2thinknow.com
INNOVATION CITIES innovation-cities.com
ASIA GAINING INNOVATION ADVANTAGE OVER U.S. CITIES
MELBOURNE, Australia – Innovation Analysts 2thinknow released today a 4 year global study of what
makes cities innovative, in an in-depth report.
The report found that United States cities long-term infrastructure advantages were eroding to Asia, but also
sets out clear steps U.S. cities could take to regain their advantages. In the middle-East, the report identified
new focus on science and technology as the key to innovation. Steps were outlined in the report to help
Australian cities capitalise on innovation.
Christopher Hire, innovation analyst and Executive Director at 2thinknow, authors of the report, said that
cities “want to innovate and profit from the new era of networks and connectivity will need to be networked.
Not just digitally, but physically. The next high growth company - and next jobs - will come from clusters of
cities that are interconnected.”
“Cities that can inspire ideas, implement locally and network globally.”
In Asia, the report identified digital mobility – an ability to be online anywhere – as a key driver of
innovation-led economic growth. Australian innovation was identified as requiring high-speed internet,
improved mobility in and between cities, freight infrastructure spending and specialisation skilling
programs.
The report also commended European cities for out-performance with rising broadband speeds – enabling
digital mobility – and fast inter-linked connections between European capitals – through fast-rail, logistics
and ports. Amsterdam, Hamburg, Lyon and Copenhagen were also singled-out in a world of increasingly
globally competitive cities – that included regionally superior infrastructure of Singapore and Seoul.
Examining 31 innovation segments, the report applies 162 indicators in a structured analysis and planning
framework for measuring, defining and building an innovation city. Overall, these indicators are grouped
into 3 factors - highly developed cultural assets, human infrastructure – for mobility, education, technology –
and networked markets.
According to the analysts, the framework is designed to “turn theory into action” – based on analysis from
international research tours, published ideas of professors from Harvard, Oxford, Imperial College and
leading independent authors. For city examples for each indicator, the report uses 2thinknow city
benchmarking data from a pool of 256 cities.
Today is the first public release of the framework, although rankings of cities were commenced in 2007. The
latest city rankings were released by 2thinknow in July.
Media spokesperson:
Christopher Hire,
Executive Director,
2thinknow
Phone: +61 (0)409 787-960
Phone: +61 (0)3 9225-5284 [switchboard]
NEWS 
