Urban planning and innovation: The strength role of the urban transformation demand. The case of Kendall Square in Cambridge

The paper discusses two interrelate aspects that have been emerging in the current phase of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) implementation, that is the concept of dynamic location advantages (cluster) and the change in social demand for urban transformation (urbanization). Both concepts contribute to redefine the role of the city in the innovation policy, athwart renovating the tools of urban policy and planning, underlined also by the Urban Agenda 2030. However, it is also widely recognized from combining Schumpeter (1934) and Jacobs (1969) that the concept of dynamic location advantages finds at city level the conditions to launch real change in regenerating local economic areas and valorize local assets. From these considerations, it follows that it is crucial to investigate how cluster-oriented policies and urban policy and planning are related in transforming cities. The aim of the paper is to figure out how the connection of urban policy with place-based innovation approach allows at reaching the knowledge convergence to activate informational spill-overs through zoning and urban planning tools. The paper examines the case of the Kendall Square area in Cambridge (MAPS-LED project-Horizon2020), which is analyzed through the lens of urban planning and zoning adopted for the area. The development of the Kendall Square area is characterized by a mixed-use approach, and innovation spaces are included as a zoning requirement for the foreseen development of the area. Conclusions highlight how urban planning and zoning are pushing factors in supporting the innovation-oriented demand of socio-economic and physical transformation.