Knowledge, networks of cities and growth in regional urban systems

Recent theories of regional growth and local development emphasise the roles of agglomeration and knowledge as the main determinants of growth, whereas the theories of the networks of cities remark that growth is a process not only within cities but also between cities. The objective of this paper is to measure the factors that affect the evolution of different intensities of knowledge in a region's cities. An adaptation of the OECD knowledge classification is used to divide the industries by knowledge intensity and to model the determinants of these intensities in a spatial context. Results suggest that higher growth rates are associated with higher levels of technology and knowledge. The growth of the different kinds of knowledge is related to local and spatial factors (agglomeration and network externalities) and each knowledge intensity show a particular response to these factors. © 2007 the author(s). Journal compilation © 2007 RSAI.