Feasibility study on the implementation of a knowledge-based city in Tabriz metropolis with a knowledge-based approach

Today, knowledge and information play a key role in global economic growth. Since cities around the world are growing on the basis of the industrial capitalist model and will soon face urban resource constraints, therefore, knowledge-based cities are considered as a suitable way for economic growth and proper management of infrastructure resources and improving the quality of life in the 21st century. Knowledge-based cities can be divided into two categories: 1. Developed knowledge-based cities with good infrastructure resources like: Barcelona, Boston, Helsinki, Ottawa, and Singapore. 2. Newfound knowledge-based cities like: Istanbul, Manchester, Melbourne, San Francisco, and Sydney in which are developing with the KBUD approach. Creating knowledge-based cities cannot be easily realized, but it needs features and capacities in various economic, cultural, social and technological fields, such as having a high level of technology, improving services and educating citizens through communication, and thus strengthening human capital. This research examines the knowledge-based urban development (KBUD) approach as a method for the realization of the knowledge-based city. Then, a novel framework is devised for the KBUD approach according to the situation of Iran. This new approach consists of six aspects: Knowledge-based economy, knowledge-based community, knowledge-based government, knowledge-based environment, knowledge-based healthcare, knowledge-based security. Then, in order to evaluate the realization possibility of a knowledge-based city in Tabriz Metropolis, a questionnaire was designed based on the SWOT of the city and six different aspects of the KBUD approach and was distributed among twenty persons selected from the elites of the city. The data extracted from the questionnaire were analyzed then. The results of the T-test showed that all indicators for knowledge-based development in Tabriz Metropolis are evaluated in good and above average level, and the results of the Friedman test showed that the variable knowledge-based healthcare with average score 4.75 is in a better and more favorable situation than other knowledge-based cities. Hence, Tabriz Metropolis has possible potential and substrates to turn into a knowledge-based city