URBAN COMPETITIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY IN A CHANGING
CONTEXT. NEW APPROACHES TO ANALYSIS, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES
Nowadays, the rapid changes in which cities are engaged affect the traditional factors of quality of life and competitiveness. This implies a significant challenge for urban spaces but also opportunities for renewal. New strategies for innovation and transformation would help to redefine new terms of sustainable development, equity, ecological values and civic awareness. The purpose of this project is to explore alternative sustainable development and competitiveness for the Spanish cities, focusing the analysis on some of the factors that are determinants for the development of intelligent cities in the current context. Methodologically, qualitative methods and ICTs (cartography, GIS, modeling) will be used to allow, to represent, to diagnose, to simulate and to evaluate alternative scenarios aimed at redefining urban policies, and promoting participatory governance. The analysis focuses on the main factors related to the quality of urban life (accessibility of services and facilities, sustainable mobility, biodiversity, participatory governance), cities in global networks, human capital, and social innovation potential.
The general objectives of this project are as follows:
-To explore alternatives of sustainable development and competitiveness for the Spanish cities, understanding the concept of sustainability in its three aspects: social, economic and environmental, which includes ecological integrity, economic prosperity and social equity. The analysis will focus in the determinants of city development in the context of quality of life and social and environmental sustainability, in the capacity of social innovation and in the creation, attraction and retention of human capital, as well as the city hierarchy in global urban networks.
- To design, to develop, and to evaluate the above outlined aspects with qualitative methodology, cartography, GIS and modeling in order to analyze, to represent, to diagnose, to simulate and to assess alternative scenarios. Results would contain suggestions for policy making in cities, they would aim to promote participatory governance, and to incorporate digital information available to general citizens.
Under the quality of life in cities general theme, the expected results of this projects aim to incorporate advancements in three special relevant issues in the current international scientific context: to urban modeling, to the hierarchical projection of cities, and to participatory governance of metropolitan areas. The project will make contributions aimed at the creation of an innovative society (dealing with crucial variables of innovation processes), inclusive factors (access to public facilities and services is today an important determinant of inclusion), and responsible societies (democratic governance, participation and citizen initiatives). Specifically it is expected to contribute into innovative elements to the provision of efficient and effective public services, to improve the relationships between public agents, businesses and citizens; which are the specific challenges designated by the ‘Estrategia Española de Investigación’ as the most relevant ones for the Administration and for the society.