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Science Parks: Actors or Reactors? Canadian Science Parks in Their Urban Context

Author

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  • Richard Shearmur

    (INRS-Urbanisation, Université du Québec, 3465 Durocher, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H2X 2C6)

  • David Doloreux

    (School of Planning, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G1)

Abstract

In response to the current accepted wisdom that we are now in a ‘knowledge economy’, where economic growth is directly linked to the capacity to gather and analyse information, an increasingly popular policy approach has been to foster the development of science parks. These parks, it is argued, contribute to the development of learning regions' by encouraging knowledge transfer between academic institutions and ‘high-tech’ or ‘knowledge-intensive’ establishments, thereby bringing about start-ups and growth in these sectors. Over the last 25 years, 17 such parks have opened in Canada, and in this paper the authors set out to answer two questions. First, what do these parks consist of? Second, can it be shown that they stimulate high-tech employment (whether in the manufacturing or service sectors) in the regions in which they are located? It is found that there is no link between the opening of a science park and employment growth in high-tech sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Shearmur & David Doloreux, 2000. "Science Parks: Actors or Reactors? Canadian Science Parks in Their Urban Context," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 32(6), pages 1065-1082, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:32:y:2000:i:6:p:1065-1082
    DOI: 10.1068/a32126
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gellatly, Guy & Baldwin, John R., 1998. "Are There High-tech Industries or Only High-tech Firms? Evidence from New Technology-based Firms," Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series 1998120e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch.
    2. Christian Longhi, 1999. "Networks, Collective Learning and Technology Development in Innovative High Technology Regions: The Case of Sophia-Antipolis," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 333-342.
    3. Belussi, Fiorenza, 1999. "Policies for the Development of Knowledge-Intensive Local Production Systems," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 23(6), pages 729-747, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alberto Albahari & Andrés Barge-Gil & Salvador Pérez-Canto & Paolo Landoni, 2023. "The effect of science and technology parks on tenant firms: a literature review," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1489-1531, August.
    2. Laura Lecluyse & Mirjam Knockaert & André Spithoven, 2019. "The contribution of science parks: a literature review and future research agenda," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 559-595, April.
    3. repec:rri:wpaper:201006 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Padilla-Hernández, Salvador & Venegas-Martínez, Francisco & Gómez-Monge, Rodrigo (ed.), 2011. "Avances recientes en teoría y práctica económica," Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación de la Escuela Superios de Economía del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Superior de Economía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, edition 1, volume 2, number 006, January.
    5. Junbo Yu & Mark Middleton & Randall Jackson, 2010. "Geography of Business Incubator Formation in the United States," Working Papers Working Paper 2010-10, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    6. Link, Albert N. & Scott, John T., 2011. "Research, Science, and Technology Parks: Vehicles for Technology Transfer," UNCG Economics Working Papers 11-22, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics.
    7. Daniel Felsenstein, 2002. "Do high technology agglomerations encourage urban sprawl?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 36(4), pages 663-682.
    8. Kelsi G. Hobbs & Albert N. Link & John T. Scott, 2017. "Science and technology parks: an annotated and analytical literature review," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 957-976, August.
    9. Ng, Wei Keat Benny & Appel-Meulenbroek, Rianne & Cloodt, Myriam & Arentze, Theo, 2019. "Towards a segmentation of science parks: A typology study on science parks in Europe," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 719-732.
    10. Randall Jackson & Peter Schaeffer & Mark Middleton, 2012. "Metro and Non-Metro Business Icubators: Similarities and Critical Differences," Working Papers Working Paper 2012-03, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    11. Link, Albert & Scott, John, 2018. "Geographic Proximity and Science Parks," UNCG Economics Working Papers 18-4, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics.
    12. T. Theeranattapong & D. Pickernell & C. Simms, 2021. "Systematic literature review paper: the regional innovation system-university-science park nexus," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 2017-2050, December.
    13. Junbo Yu & Mark Middleton & Randall Jackson, 2010. "Toward the Geography of Business Incubator Formation in the United States," Working Papers Working Paper 2010-06, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    14. repec:rri:wpaper:201010 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Kevin Edson Jones & Michael Granzow & Rob Shields, 2019. "Urban virtues and the innovative city: An experiment in placing innovation in Edmonton, Canada," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(4), pages 705-721, March.
    16. Brian J. Bergman & Jeffery S. McMullen, 2022. "Helping Entrepreneurs Help Themselves: A Review and Relational Research Agenda on Entrepreneurial Support Organizations," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(3), pages 688-728, May.
    17. repec:rri:wpaper:201203 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Ng, Wei Keat Benny & Appel-Meulenbroek, Rianne & Cloodt, Myriam & Arentze, Theo, 2022. "Exploring science park location choice: A stated choice experiment among Dutch technology-based firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).

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