Bert van der Knaap

Polycentricity and the Multiplexity of Urban Networks

Abstract Empirical studies on polycentric urban regions (PURs) tend to analyse their spatial organization by examining only one type of functional linkage between cities. However, it has generally been accepted that urban networks are multiplex phenomena and that spatial interactions between cities can take many different forms, for example, commuting, shopping trips, and inter-firm trade. The spatial organization of each of these functional linkages is not necessarily identical, and, therefore, a region can appear to be polycentric and spatially integrated based on the analysis of one type of functional linkage but monocentric and loosely connected based on the analysis of another type of functional linkage. The aim of this paper is to stimulate further discussion on the multiplexity of urban networks with regard to the relational complexity of urban regions. Focusing on one PUR (Randstad Holland), we compare the geographical scope and spatial structure of different functional networks within it. Our results indicate that the spatial organization of the urban network depends on the lens through which it is assessed.

A Longitudinal Analysis of the Growth of Firms

It is surprising to note how little empirical evidence there is to support the product life-cycle theory as an explanatory tool for regional and industrial change (cf. also Walker, 1979). Usually the level of analysis chosen is for classes or subclasses of industry, but not at the level of individual firms. Therefore there exists very little comprehensive knowledge about the spatial behaviour of individual firms and their responses to spatial structural change and renewal. More recently also other authors have made a plea for more micro research at the level of the firm (e.g. Thomas, 1987) to improve our knowledge and understanding of the current process of industrial change. Especially important in this context is the role of product-market strategies over time, their spatial implications and the spatial conditions required for the different strategies.

When Clusters Become Networks

Policy makers spend large amounts of public resources on the foundation of science parks and other forms of geographically clustered business activities, in order to stimulate regional innovation. Underlying the relation between clusters and innovation is the assumption that co-located firms engaged in innovative activities benefit from knowledge that diffuses locally. In order to access this knowledge, firms are often required to form more- or less formal relations with co-located firms. Empirical evidence shows however that besides some success cases like Silicon Valley and the Emilia- Romagna region where firms collaborate intensively, many regional clusters are mere co-locations of firms. To enhance our understanding of why some clusters become networks of strategic collaboration and others don’t, we study link formation within European biopharmaceutical clusters. More specifically we look at the effect of cluster characteristics such as number of start-up firms, established firms or academic institutions, or the nature of the collaborations on the probability of local link formation

The geography of equity listing and financial centre competition in mainland China and Hong Kong

This study examines the changing competitiveness of financial centres in mainland China and Hong Kong based on the geography of equity listing of mainland Chinese firms. Pre-listing firm characteristics are used to explore firms’ motives for listing on a particular exchange and whether these motives have changed over time. The results show that Hong Kong’s prominence as an international financial centre is attracting the largest and, recently, also the best performing mainland Chinese state-owned enterprises to go public. Less differentiation exists between the competitiveness of Shanghai and Shenzhen, although the renewed strategy of the Shenzhen stock exchange to attract smaller firms appears to be successful.(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Spatial sustainability and the tyranny of transport: A causal path scenario analysis

This paper aims at positioning spatial development at the crossroads of the conflicting needs for spatial mobility and spatial sustainability. Such tensions have explicitly been recognized in recent local, national and international policy documents. A reconciliation of such antagonistic driving forces in our modern network economy requires a solid theoretical framework in which the relevant force fields are depicted and in which the uncertainties inherent in any attempt at steering human behavior in space are explicitly recognized. This requires an analytical framework in which relevant scenarios are systematically projected on a model structure describing the above mentioned force field. This paper will try to offer an operational methodology for coping with the above mentioned conflicting issues in planning for sustainable spatial development. Particular attention will be given to the spatial scale of analyzing sustainable development. The methodology will be illustrated by presenting empirical results from a case study undertaken in the western part of the Netherlands, the so called Randstad.

A Treatise on the Geographical Scale of Agglomeration Externalities and the MAUP

In this article, we test to what extent the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) moderates the effect of agglomeration externalities on areal sectoral employment growth by varying the initial geographical scale of analysis. Using spatial cross-regressive modelling, we find different effects of agglomeration forces across geographical scales. As the MAUP is a theoretical as well as a methodological problem, research should not only work with proper statistical specifications, but also relate this more explicitly to hypotheses concerning the geographical scale at which agglomeration externalities operate. .

Entrepreneurship, Investment and Spatial Dynamics: Lessons and Implications for an Enlarged EU. Edited by Peter Nijkamp, Ronald L. Moomaw, and Iulia Traistaru‐Siedschlag

New empirical evidence regarding the spatial dimensions of investment, entrepreneurship and knowledge spillovers with the aim to draw lessons and policy implications for growth prospects in the recently enlarged European Union (EU). These subjects are addressed in both individual and cross-country analysis using innovative methodologies and novel modelling efforts. . . . The novelty of this book consists of its focus on the interaction of entrepreneurship, investment and knowledge spillovers for understanding the spatial dimensions of growth. (p. x)