ABSTRACT
The aim of this work is to describe the significant variety occurring among the horticultural districts in the Netherlands and in Italy. Our empirical analysis allows us to apply the two largely used concepts of industrial districts and clusters, pinpointing their different meaning. A symbiotic division of labour has been discovered among the three districts considered: Boskoop, Pistoia, and Saonara, which dates back to the international fragmentation of the value chain. Our work shows that the application of science in horticultural districts has transformed them in knowledge-intensive districts. This process is more visible in the case of the Dutch cluster than in the Italian districts. Several theoretical concepts regarding agglomeration, and the main characteristics of the ornamental horticulture industry, will be discussed in this chapter, with a special focus on three case studies regarding the Boskoop, Pistoia, and Saonara districts.
