Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• The development of the Technology Center Dortmund and the Technology Park
Dortmund (started in 1985, ''TechnologieZentrumDortmund'' and ''Techno-
logieParkDortmund'' in German).
• The development and implementation of the city development model Dort-
mund-Project (started in 2000) with its cluster initiatives.
4.3 The Technology Center Dortmund and Technology
Park Dortmund
In the early 1980s when the inescapable process of declining traditional industries
was at its beginning the city urgently needed a new basis for economic develop-
ment. It was then that various stakeholders in the city of Dortmund acted in an
amazingly fast manner. They reached a consensus regarding analysis of the situ-
ation and concepts suitable for future recovery of the presently decaying tradi-
tional industry. This consensus has been referred to as the ''Dortmund Consensus''
ever since and formed the basis, shared by all, for a remarkable transition from old
to new economic structures. This consensus can be considered as an informal but
influential new form of government.
Cooperation between the local players is evident in the cases of the Technology
Center Dortmund and the adjacent Technology Park. While searching for inno-
vative ways to promote the restructuring of the region, a Dortmund initiative led to
the establishment of a technology center. The founding fathers, so to say, were
• Dortmund's institutions of higher education
• The City of Dortmund
• The local Chambers of Commerce
• Dortmund's financial institutions.
The opportunity was grasped quickly. In 1985, 16 months after the preliminary
negotiations, the first buildings were completed. Here Dortmund was among the
pioneers in Germany, second only to Aix-la-Chapelle and Berlin.
The idea itself and the prompt implementation of the project were attributable
to the advantages that the university and the city undoubtedly possessed. The
University of Dortmund had deliberately developed strength in the fields of
engineering, computer science, and the natural sciences, and therefore the potential
for innovation was high. In addition, the University is situated on a large green
field site that offered enough space for an industrial periphery.
The 'Dortmund Consensus' had become well known throughout the region; it
signified a reliable partnership between the public sector (politics, administration,
and education) and the private sector (industry and enterprise). Therefore, the
project was the result of successful networking:
• The Rector of the University promoted the idea and served as a mediating
influence among academia, politics, and industry; the infrastructure and fields of
excellence of the university defined the focus of a local technology center.
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