Creating a makerspace in a characteristic town: The case of Dream Town in Hangzhou

Abstract

Abstract The innovation system of a makerspace needs to be studied from the scalable perspective. Based on an analytical framework, this research examines the endogenous and regional factors that have shaped the innovation system of Dream Town, a government-cultivated makerspace in a characteristic town of Hangzhou, China. Employed a qualitative method, this research finds that Dream Town s innovation system has been co-driven by the endogenous factors (i.e., innovation place, institution and policy, capital supports, and entrepreneurial service system) and the regional factors (i.e., human resources, university and research institutes, industrial structure, and entrepreneurial culture). This research advances our understanding of the factors behind innovation and the ways in which those factors interact to create makerspaces in the Chinese context.