The university campus as a knowledge city: exploring models and strategic choices

The development of knowledge cities increasingly depends on collaboration between urban and regional authorities, knowledge institutions and businesses. While a shift from awareness to active collaboration is taking place, the rapidly changing context demands a faster pace. This paper seeks to understand the relationship between urban, corporate and university strategies required to develop knowledge cities and the relevance of the physical setting as an important resource to achieve mutual goals. This paper positions the university campus as a large-scale real estate object and reviews the literature on real estate management and campus development within the frame of the knowledge economy. The methodology uses empirical data of existing comparative studies on university campuses and knowledge cities including the case study in Bogota, Colombia. The paper provides models to support policy makers with management information for their strategic choices. Moreover, it outlines the relevance of involving external stakeholders in campus strategies.