| Abstract |
Currently the concept of smart city is widespread. Its value is related to sustainable development in terms of social cohesion, to the diffusion and availability of knowledge, creativity, freedom and mobility, environmental quality, and their relative use by advanced technologies. To think of a smart city or even, on a smaller scale, a smart area, means to consider different variables of influence. One of these variables is the geographical proximity between universities or research centers and the territory. Data from universities and research centers operating in different areas of technology, as gathered by a relevant literature in the field (Lawton Smith, H., 2007, 2011, 2013; Lazzeroni, M., Piccaluga, A., 2003; Lazzeroni 2010; Lazzeroni et al., 2013), show that, when the geographical distance from the source of knowledge (Universities and Research Centres) to users increases, the impact of knowledge gradually decreases. The approach of the present study declines the exposed issue to the specific case of marginal urban area. Results of an empirical analysis are proposed. It regards to a real case, based on the analysis of the impacts of the recent settlement of a research center, the center Cesma of the University of Naples Federico II, in marginal east area of the city of Naples, in which the local administration has decided to implement requalification actions. |