IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i13p5312-d378893.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Theoretical Foundations in Support of Small and Medium Towns

Author

Listed:
  • Teresa de Noronha

    (Faculty of Economics, University of the Algarve, 8000 Faro, Portugal)

  • Eric Vaz

    (Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 1W7, Canada)

Abstract

This theoretical review aims to create a comprehensive and systematic analysis based on previously published literature explaining how contemporary technological developments may promote new paths for small and medium-sized towns (SMTs) and their networking systems. Much has been said concerning the capacity of towns to absorb strategic knowledge, which is highly dependent on local governance systems. In this paper, five levels of multidisciplinary approaches will be addressed so as to pinpoint the theoretical grounds for the promotion and advocacy of small and medium-sized towns (SMTs) as major drivers of regional sustainability: agglomeration advantages and networking efficiencies—representing strict economic accounting of cost and benefits; clustering in a context of online environments, and its extension to open networking systems; sustainable innovation processes for SMTs, technology, and knowledge transfer in open innovation systems—both settings for discussions within the framing of new technological developments and artificial intelligence; knowledge and new technological developments with local spillovers—to be enhanced employing new educational programs and learning diffusion at advanced levels; the social functions of small and medium-sized towns—to be addressed in the areas of sociology, architecture, and planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Teresa de Noronha & Eric Vaz, 2020. "Theoretical Foundations in Support of Small and Medium Towns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:13:p:5312-:d:378893
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/13/5312/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/13/5312/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Charlie Karlsson & Börje Johansson & Roger R. Stough (ed.), 2005. "Industrial Clusters and Inter-Firm Networks," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3577.
    2. Ugo Fratesi & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2016. "The crisis and regional employment in Europe: what role for sheltered economies?," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 9(1), pages 33-57.
    3. Paulo Alexandre Neves Martinho Neto, 2009. "O novo paradigma de desenvolvimento rural: Os pólos de excelência rural," CEFAGE-UE Working Papers 2009_03, University of Evora, CEFAGE-UE (Portugal).
    4. Antony Potter & H. Doug Watts, 2014. "Revisiting Marshall's Agglomeration Economies: Technological Relatedness and the Evolution of the Sheffield Metals Cluster," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(4), pages 603-623, April.
    5. Eric De Noronha Vaz & Doan Nainggolan & Peter Nijkamp & Marco Painho, 2011. "Crossroads of tourism: a complex spatial systems analysis of tourism and urban sprawl in the Algarve," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 14(3/4), pages 225-241.
    6. Teresa de Noronha & Purificación Vicente Galindo & Peter Nijkamp & Eric de Noronha Vaz, 2013. "The Firms behind the Regions: Analysis of Regional Innovation Performance in Portugal by External Logistic Biplots," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 13-133/VIII, Tinbergen Institute.
    7. Christiaensen, Luc & De Weerdt, Joachim & Kanbur, Ravi, 2016. "Urbanization and poverty reduction: the role of secondary towns in Tanzania," IOB Analyses & Policy Briefs 18, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    8. Stef Proost & Jacques-François Thisse, 2019. "What Can Be Learned from Spatial Economics?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 57(3), pages 575-643, September.
    9. Peter Nijkamp & Roger Stough & Maria Teresa de Noronha Vaz, 2007. "Local Knowledge and Innovation Policy," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 25(5), pages 633-637, October.
    10. Eric Vaz & Lisa Bowman, 2013. "An Application for Regional Coastal Erosion Processes in Urban Areas: A Case Study of the Golden Horseshoe in Canada," Land, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-14, November.
    11. Loris Servillo & Rob Atkinson & Abdelillah Hamdouch & Loris Servillo & Rob Atkinson & Abdelillah Hamdouch, 2017. "Small and Medium-Sized Towns in Europe: Conceptual, Methodological and Policy Issues," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 108(4), pages 365-379, September.
    12. Vaz, Eric & Tehranchi, Sina & Cusimano, Michael, 2017. "Spatial Assessment of Road Traffic Injuries in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA): Spatial Analysis Framework," Journal of Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, Cinturs - Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, University of Algarve, vol. 5(1), pages 37-55.
    13. Eric Vaz & Marco Painho & Peter Nijkamp, 2015. "Linking Agricultural Policies with Decision-Making: A Spatial Approach," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(4), pages 733-745, April.
    14. Emmanouil Tranos & Peter Nijkamp, 2013. "The Death Of Distance Revisited: Cyber-Place, Physical And Relational Proximities," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 855-873, December.
    15. Noronha Vaz, E. de & Nainggolan, D. & Nijkamp, P. & Painho, M., 2011. "A complex spatial systems analysis of tourism and urban sprawl in the Algarve," Serie Research Memoranda 0003, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    16. Peter Nijkamp, 2013. "The Universal Law Of Gravitation And The Death Of Distance," Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Romanian Regional Science Association, vol. 7(2), pages 1-10, DECEMBER.
    17. Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp & Teresa De Noronha Vaz, 2015. "Cities in a shrinking globe," International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 14(1/2), pages 6-16.
    18. José Andrés Domínguez & Teresa De Noronha & Eric Vaz, 2015. "Sustainability in the trans-border regions? The case of Andalusia - Algarve," International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 14(1/2), pages 151-163.
    19. Eric Vaz & Teresa de Noronha Vaz & Purificacion Vicente Galindo & Peter Nijkamp, 2014. "Modelling innovation support systems for regional development -- analysis of cluster structures in innovation in Portugal," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1-2), pages 23-46, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Madeleine Wagner & Anna Growe, 2021. "Research on Small and Medium-Sized Towns: Framing a New Field of Inquiry," World, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-22, February.
    2. Anosh Nadeem Butt & Branka Dimitrijević, 2022. "Multidisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Collaboration in Nature-Based Design of Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-23, August.
    3. Dingqing Wang & Enqi Zhang & Hongwei Liao, 2022. "Does Fiscal Decentralization Affect Regional High-Quality Development by Changing Peoples’ Livelihood Expenditure Preferences: Provincial Evidence from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, August.
    4. Sakketa, Tekalign Gutu, 2022. "Urbanisation and rural development in developing countries: A review of pathways and impacts," IDOS Discussion Papers 5/2022, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    5. Agnieszka Jaszczak & Ewelina Pochodyła & Beata Płoszaj-Witkowska, 2022. "Transformation of Green Areas in Central Squares after Revitalization: Evidence from Cittaslow Towns in Northeast Poland," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-25, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eric Vaz, 2020. "Archaeological Sites in Small Towns—A Sustainability Assessment of Northumberland County," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Pedro Valadas Monteiro & Teresa de Noronha & Paulo Neto, 2012. "The Idiosyncratic Nature Of Maritime Clusters:Considerations For Their Possible Differentiation," Portuguese Journal of Management Studies, ISEG, Universidade de Lisboa, vol. 0(1), pages 7-38.
    3. Luc Christiaensen & Ravi Kanbur, 2017. "Secondary Towns and Poverty Reduction: Refocusing the Urbanization Agenda," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 9(1), pages 405-419, October.
    4. Caragliu, Andrea & Graziano, Marcello, 2022. "The spatial dimension of energy transition policies, practices and technologies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    5. Przemysław Ciesiółka & Barbara Maćkiewicz, 2022. "In Search of Social Resilience? Regeneration Strategies for Polish Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-14, September.
    6. Thi Xuan Thu Nguyen & Javier Revilla Diez, 2017. "Multinational enterprises and industrial spatial concentration patterns in the Red River Delta and Southeast Vietnam," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 59(1), pages 101-138, July.
    7. Antonio Carlos Campos & Luís Lopes & Carlos Carreira, 2024. "Spatial Autocorrelation of Exports and R&D Expenditures in Portugal," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 8632-8653, June.
    8. Li, Shuoshuo & Liu, Yaobin & Wei, Guoen & Bi, Mo & He, Bao-Jie, 2024. "Carbon surplus or carbon deficit under land use transformation in China?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    9. Joachim Vandercasteelen & Seneshaw Tamru Beyene & Bart Minten & Jo Swinnen, 2017. "Secondary towns, agricultural prices, and intensification: evidence from Ethiopia," Working Papers of LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance 579601, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance.
    10. Karima Kourtit, 2017. "Critical Performance Factors for Large World Cities - In Search of Qualitative Causal Patterns by means of Rough Set Analysis," REGION, European Regional Science Association, vol. 4, pages 51-70.
    11. Vassilis Monastiriotis & Ian R Gordon & Ioannis Laliotis, 2021. "Uneven geographies of economic recovery and the stickiness of individual displacement," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 14(1), pages 157-178.
    12. Ugo Fratesi & Giovanni Perucca, 2018. "Territorial capital and the resilience of European regions," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 60(2), pages 241-264, March.
    13. Yin, Xu & Wang, Jing & Li, Yurui & Feng, Zhiming & Wang, Qianyi, 2021. "Are small towns really inefficient? A data envelopment analysis of sampled towns in Jiangsu province, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    14. Mitzi Cubilla‐Montilla & Ana‐Belén Nieto‐Librero & Ma Purificación Galindo‐Villardón & Ma Purificación Vicente Galindo & Isabel‐María Garcia‐Sanchez, 2019. "Are cultural values sufficient to improve stakeholder engagement human and labour rights issues?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 938-955, July.
    15. Ivan Blečić & Arnaldo Cecchini & Emanuel Muroni & Valeria Saiu & Serafino Scanu & Giuseppe Andrea Trunfio, 2023. "Addressing Peripherality in Italy: A Critical Comparison between Inner Areas and Territorial Capital-Based Evaluations," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, January.
    16. Jordy Meekes & Wolter H. J. Hassink, 2023. "Endogenous local labour markets, regional aggregation and agglomeration economies," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(1), pages 13-25, January.
    17. Roberto Brunetti & Carl Gaigné & Fabien Moizeau, 2023. "Credit Market Imperfections, Urban Land Rents and the Henry George Theorem," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 74(5), pages 681-703.
    18. Jonathan I. Dingel & Felix Tintelnot, 2020. "Spatial Economics for Granular Settings," NBER Working Papers 27287, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Antonín Vaishar & Milada Šťastná, 2019. "Sustainable Development of a Peripheral Mountain Region on the State Border: Case Study of Moravské Kopanice Microregion (Moravia)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-15, October.
    20. Neil Lee & Davide Luca, 2019. "The big-city bias in access to finance: evidence from firm perceptions in almost 100 countries," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 199-224.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:13:p:5312-:d:378893. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.