Technopole

A technopole, commonly referred to as a high-technology cluster or tech hub, refers to a center of high-tech manufacturing and information-based quaternary industry.[1] The term was coined by Allen J. Scott in 1990 to describe regions in Southern California which showed a rapid growth in high technology fields.[2] This term now has a broader scope to describe regions worldwide dedicated to technological innovation.[3] Such regions can be centers of rapid economic and technological growth as a result of agglomeration effects.[4]

Technopoles are one type of industry cluster. The components of a technopole usually comprise local firms, universities, financial institutions and public research organizations.[5] Technopoles may be developed by the private sector or by the co-operation or partnership between the public and private sectors. Governments of all levels promote them as a panacea for economies hurt by economic restructuring. Large corporations and small business operate within these high technology areas. Networking between companies is important and made possible by technological advances and facilitate technology transfer. Technopoles are combined technological and business centers specifically established around recognized educational and research institutes.

  1. ^ Lee Artz, Yahya R. Kamalipour, editors (2003). "The globalization of corporate media hegemony". State University of New York Press. ISBN 9780791458211. Retrieved 2010-06-16. see p. 94; {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Miller, J.C. (2007). The Geography of Technopoles: Computer and Electric Product Manufacturing By MSA, 2005. North Carolina: Greensboro. p. 16
  3. ^ Quan-Haase, A. (2012). Technology and Society: Social Networks, Power, and Inequality. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press. p.61
  4. ^ Moretti, E. (2012). The New Geography of Jobs. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  5. ^ Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. p. 662. ISBN 978-0415862875.