Post date: Nov 1, 2015 9:14:55 AM
This study seeks to understand what helps a high-tech cluster emerge. Specifically,
it investigates the role of planning in nurturing collaborations and communications,
which have been critical in building the San Diego bio-cluster. Because of the
characteristics of the research question, it adopts an interpretive approach, one of
qualitative research methods, which allows us to capture the development process of the
regional bio-cluster.
This study argues that the emergence of San Diego's bio-cluster was not an
'accident', but it is the result of elaborated collaborations among community leaders,
urban planners, entrepreneurs, and others, particularly around their planning process.
Urban planning acted as a platform to maximize long-term and social utility, instead of
short-term and individual benefit. 'Planning,' not 'plan,' over two decades, was
instrumental in developing the bio-cluster in San Diego.
To generalize the role of planning in building high-tech clusters, more studies are
necessary. The findings of this research do not provide general lessons to regions and
nations. However, this study can deliver novel insights and implications to city leaders,
planners, and practitioners in leveraging planning to foster economic vitality.