Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
services of a computer and the convenience services of a restaurant, motel, post
office and bank.
2. The physical layout of the university where the STP is to be established should
enable the expansion of the STP tenants' facilities.
3. Access control and restrictions should be established and enforced to retain STP
aesthetic quality.
4. Cost of site should be competitive with alternate sites available.
5. The geographic and environmental factors which tenants consider important in
their decisions to locate in an STP in a university are:
• a suburban residential area within commuting distance;
• good public schools;
• established graduate school with significant research programme;
• university programmes which provide library facilities, continuing education;
• a jet airport located in area.
Cox (
1985
) identified four factors essential for STPs success from the U.S.A.
experience about science park development and management. These are a desir-
able living environment, a major technological university, major institutional
research facilities and a skilled labour force. Highly trained scientists, engineers
and technical workers are required to work in STPs in universities to raise the
profile of the university. Any university community without one of these ingre-
dients will have great difficulty in developing sustainable STPs.
2.2 Ingredients of a Knowledge Economy
The knowledge-based economy should compliment efforts to improve productivity
through enhancement in the total factor production as it will add value to existing
activities and will be accompanied by improvement in technology, greater inno-
vative capability and the input of higher skilled workforce. An assessment using
input-output analysis confirms that knowledge-intensive industries have a higher
value-added multiplier and higher productivity compared with non-knowledge-
intensive industries. Universities, colleges and research organisations, etc., play a
critical role in the development of a knowledge-based economy.
Clearly, the introduction of high-tech and knowledge-intensive and intelligent
production systems will offer new investment opportunities within existing
industries. Knowledge enabling industries, particularly in the area of information
and communications technology (ICTs), will also generate green areas of invest-
ment in the development of hardware and software as well as infrastructure. The
knowledge economy through its contribution to productivity enhancement and the
generation of new ideas of investment will therefore, increase the long-term
growth potential and provide the basis for continued sustainable rapid growth of
the Zimbabwean economy.
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