ABSTRACT
Cities around the globe are seeking to harness the power of knowledge in creating science cities and urban innovation platforms to develop new visions upon which to base their strategies. This chapter examines how cities have embraced the promise of the knowledge economy. It considers urban strategies that have emerged to harness knowledge through the acquisition of talent, promotion of research expertise, marketing and image management. The promissory nature of capitalism is examined through different lenses, including smart, experimental, creative cities, urban living labs or technopoles. The aim is to show the sheer scale, breadth and scope of ambition to build the knowledge economy at the urban level. The relations between knowledge and the city are examined in terms of the attributed value given to knowledge informed by uncertain and uneven development, dancing between convergent and divergent pressures. Cities are investing in the knowledge economy because they believe it will transform their fortunes and universities are responding accordingly as they become embedded in these ambitions.
