ABSTRACT
This chapter gives a brief overview of the historical background of modern Gothenburg. It presents the main internal and external driving forces of knowledge co-production. Gothenburg Region Association of Local Authorities (GR) is a voluntary political collaboration between the thirteen municipalities surrounding Gothenburg. In the following centuries, Gothenburg was the main Swedish port to the North Sea. Shipping and trade were thus crucial components in the early development of the town. However, in the first decade of the twenty-first century a new bias became apparent in the notion of sustainable growth, where economic growth became the main goal of sustainable development applied in the region. The City of Gothenburg, the universities, and companies from the private sector have established three science parks, within IT, logistics, and transport, and one on materials and the built environment, and within the life sciences. The City, GR, and the universities together initiated two additional projects on urban empowerment and urban games.
