Regional economies,interactive television and interorganizational networks: A case study of an innovation network in Baden‐Württemberg

This paper explores attempts to establish a network of firms and organizations to develop the multimedia industry at a regional level. The paper sets out its review in the context of the regional economy, and then details the nature of the networking process under investigation. An evaluation of networking in this context is provided, based on detailed empirical research. Lessons are drawn from the experiences of seeking economic modernization through organizational networks.     

Bergen and Seattle: A tale of strategic planning in two cities

Strategic planning, as developed in the military and business sectors, offers a procedural model with important differences from the earlier comprehensive approach. Economic and physical development strategies, often called for by national planning legislation in European countries, frequently have little in common with the model proposed by Steiner for private firms, or espoused for the public sector by Bryson and others: there appears to be confusion resulting from use of similar terms. This paper investigates efforts to employ at least the major features of strategic planning in two institutionally and culturally different contexts, nearly half a world apart. In Bergen, Norway, these principles have informed economic development planning and planning for a major district of the city. In the case of Seattle, Washington, USA, the new comprehensive plan is based on framework policies developed during a 2‐year public process, and now that the city‐wide plan is adopted, Seattle is turning to developing neighbourhood plans which will provide more operational detail for guiding public and private investments. Comparison of these two cases both provides contrasts and similarities stemming from the two different contexts, and help to evaluate the transférability of strategic planning from the private to the public sector.     

Dynamic Central Place Theory: Results of a Simulation Approach

A dynamic central place theory is formulated as a simulation model in which retail activities, described by cost equations, and consumers, described by spatial interaction equations, interact to generate a central place system. The behavior of the model is then examined. Simulation results show that the basic character of the system—whether it is agglomerated or dispersed—depends primarily on a single parameter in the interaction equation, and only secondarily on the specification of the cost function. The results are highly robust in that they are largely independent of the initial sizes and locations of centers, and even independent of the type of interaction equation used. The patterns generated appear plausible.     

Bilingual districts as an instrument in Canadian language policy

"Accommodation of a multi-ethnic population within the territory of a single state has been recognized as a world-wide problem. Within such a society language maintenance is frequently the avenue through which cultural groups seek to preserve their identity. This paper describes and evaluates the Canadian experience of language planning by concentrating on the bilingual district, the key spatial instrument in the federal Official Languages Act. The paper argues for a cautious and spatially varied application of the 1969 Act and seeks to suggest ways in which a geolinguistic analysis may further our understanding of plurilingual societies."