ABSTRACT
The use of the 'network' in the context of urban innovation is characterized more by the purpose for which linkages are made than the structures within which interaction is carried out. In broad terms, innovation networks are seen to occupy the 'middle ground' between networks built around individual interpersonal relationships and those defined by formal institutional social configurations. The chapter demonstrates the broad base of network definition and usage. The nature of the information flowing through a network is always a significant element of the process, but for traditional urban networking organizations it constitutes the primary role. Networking is an experimental process; failures are frequent since the essence of the process is to create new directions out of a collaborative, adaptive learning process involving different interest groups. There are many networks embedded in hierarchical systems, and at the same time there are many hierarchies that are creating networks.
