A New Strategic Approach to Science Cities: Towards the Achievement of Sustainable and Balanced Spatial Development - Technopolis: Best Practices for Science and Technology Cities - page 9

conventional regional development that centred on land utilisation and infra-
structural improvements. Policies and practices in Japan in particular combined the
elements of garden cities and Silicon Valley to create a vision featuring research
universities, science centres, industrial research parks, joint R&D consortia, ven-
ture capital foundations, office complexes, international convention centres and
residential new towns (Castells and Hall 1994 ).
Park ( 1997 ) argues that whilst these programmes may be regarded as successful
against certain measures of national development, results varied heavily at local
levels. The over-expectation on the technopolis plans and a drastic change in the
macro-economic situation in the second half of the 1980s were two factors that
consequently led to a re-assessment of the approach, which in order to reach the
original goals of the programmes saw a further build-up of organisational infra-
structure, adequate educational facilities and creative environments to be estab-
lished in the areas (see Table 2 ).
The extension of support for technological development outside the confines of
specific buildings (innovation centres), exclusive parklands (science parks) into

Table 2 Overview of technopolis strategies (Source: Park 1997 )
First technopolis period Second technopolis period

Conditions Conditions

Industrial structural switch from heavy and
large scaled fordist production to light and
small-scaled flexible manufacturing
systems

Increase of enterprises locating overseas along
with the appreciation of the yen; progress of
industrial structural adjustment

An approach run towards a technology nation Progress of globalism

A period of financial reconstruction A wave of technological innovation and

international competition on technological
development power

Demands for the revitalisation of local
economies

Reinforced foundation of technological
development power (maturing of first
technopolis period)

Enlarging disparities of the technological
capabilities between regions

New information technologies and spread of
informationalisation into local economies

Decline of local industries, concentration of
high-tech industries in large city areas,
enlarging regional disparities

The advance of soft and service economies
Diversification and change of value and
consciousness among the Japanese
Recovery of national financial power

Basic strategy of first period Basic strategy of second period

Reinforce the foundation of technological
development capabilities

Lay stress on endogenous modes of
development

Transfer to high-tech local industry Give prominence to individualism

Dig out local needs and make the most out of
the local seeds

Formation of technopolis networks

Technological innovation from the grassroots Accommodate to internationalisation (open

policy, technology transfer, networks)

Respect independency of localities, attach to
the soft-technology base

Implement a city making