Asia Gaining Innovation Advantage Over U.s. Cities

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26th October 2009, 09:00am - Views: 1171














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]






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