A unified methodological approach for the development of knowledge cities

Purpose The concept of knowledge cities (KCs) is particularly advantageous for any contemporary city. Many cities globally claim themselves as being already KCs, while other cities have elaborated strategic plans in order to be transformed into KCs. The examination of their approaches reveals that these initiatives are fragmented and there is not a unified and coherent methodological approach. The purpose of this paper is to present the basic elements of a methodological approach for the integrated development of a KC. Design/methodology/approach The examination and analysis of many cities' approaches, on a previous research work, have permitted one to identify an emerging pattern of successful KCs' main characteristics and features. These characteristics served as the basis in order to develop a methodological approach for the development of a KC. Findings The paper presents the basic elements of a methodological approach, named KnowCis (knowledge cities), which consists of five main phases. Research limitations/implications The concept of KCs is very broad and consequently the purpose of the proposed approach is to incorporate all the related aspects. A suggestion for future research is the enhancement of the approach in order to incorporate additional aspects of a city's life. Practical implications The KnowCis approach is a useful tool for any city that intends to be developed as a KC. At this stage there is an ongoing collaboration with a Greek city for its pilot application. Originality/value The approach presented in this paper is unified and it can be easily adapted in order to comply with the particular characteristics of each city.