Spaces & Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies

Abstract

Innovation in a city requires that new knowledge and innovative ideas move permanently through three different layers of the city: that are creative individuals who are not immediately linked to the commercial and industrial world and whose culture lies outside the corporate logic of standardization and the level of formal institutions or firms, whose specific role is to bring creative ideas to the market. The urban organization is the level where the work of collectives and communities enables the necessary knowledge transmission that precedes innovation. Successful innovative areas in cities are loci where the urban organizations play a key role for the city as an important element of cultural creativity .In order to qualitatively analyze the challenges of transforming Mashhad (the second biggest city of Iran) into an innovative city; interviews were carried out with 9 experts of urban organizations. First of all, interviewees were asked to describe the status quo of innovation in each of their respective organizations. The interviews were analyzed based on thematic analysis. Results obtained from interviews are presented in a SWOT Table. Research findings showed that the status quo of innovation was evaluated as very weak, and this is due to lack of suitable contexts for innovation, unaccomplished actions, or projects implemented with no specific result. Finally, according to comments and the trend of current conditions, strategies for achieving an innovative city were complied.