Universities, Economic Development and Regeneration

Abstract

The chapter draws on findings from the project’s four case studies to critically assess the contribution of universities to their regional economic development through three lenses. The first of these relates to the particular economic and development initiatives that universities are involved in and which are explicitly targeted at economic growth or urban regeneration. The second relates to assumptions about the particular status of universities as knowledge hubs. The third considers universities as significant business actors in their own right, whose decisions often have powerful impacts locally. The chapter suggests that the unintended consequences of university activity on places and their regeneration may be as important as the intended ones.