Mr. Josep Miquel Piqué Huertas' Thesis Lecture

This PhD dissertation is a compendium of publications in the field of Ecosystems of Innovation. These articles are based on the conceptual frameworks of the Triple Helix model, Knowledge Based Urban Development paradigm, Clusters of Innovation and the Lifecycle Model of a New Venture. 

This thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of the revitalization projects of metropolitan areas and the evolution of the Ecosystems of Innovation. Using a case method approach, this work has explored four Brazilian urban revitalizations, the evolution of 22@Barcelona Innovation District and the evolution of San Francisco-Silicon Valley Ecosystem. From these cases, several implications can be drawn. From the academic point of view, the Quintuple Helix model and the Knowledge Based Urban Development (KBUD) theory provide an appropriate framework to describe the revitalization processes that have been analysed. From the perspective of policy makers in urban revitalization, this work can inspire other cities that want to transform old industrial areas (brownfield transformation) into socially conscious, creative and knowledge based economy hubs. This study suggests proposing a holistic perspective of the role of the Universities, Industry and Government that includes local specificities in the revitalization processes in the urban, economic, social and governance dimension and a new perspective for theorizing the evolution of Areas of Innovation (AOIs) from inception to maturity.