Urban development projects and creative economies

Territorialization of the economic paradigm in Buenos Aires

Abstract

Urban policies promoting creative economies were initially implemented in the city of Buenos Aires in degraded areas of the pre-existing urban fabric, in the form of economic districts. Nonetheless, a new generation of urban development projects has recently emerged, with the objective of developing this specific sector of the economy through the creation of new urban environments, designed specifically for this purpose. In this context, this paper explores —through qualitative analysis— two case studies that are currently under execution: “Parque de la Innovación” and “Ciudad de las Ciencias”. The analysis presented shows how the urban development projects have become a vehicle to the territorialization of specific forms of economic development, bringing into discussion new and differential strategies employed for the development of science, technology, and innovation as an urban policy.