Title: Innovative urban planning approaches

Chair:

Prof. Konstantinos Serraos

School of Architecture

National Technical University Athens

Abstract/Description:

What is “innovative”? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, innovation generally means “a new idea or method, or the use of new ideas and methods”. In social terms, the EU definition may give a more precise meaning: “innovations are new ideas that meet social needs, create social relationships and form new collaborations. These innovations can be products, services or models addressing unmet needs more effectively”. The American sociologist E. Rogers defined innovation as “an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption” [Rogers, E. (2003). Diffusion of innovations. New York: Free Press], while Baregheh et al, after having analyzed a wide variety of definitions, concluded that “innovation is the multi-stage process whereby organizations transform ideas into new/improved products, service or processes, in order to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace” [Baregheh, A; Rowley, J; Sambrook, S. (2009). "Towards a multidisciplinary definition of innovation". Management Decision. 47 (8)].

This special session seeks to investigate more precisely the meaning and content of “innovation” in the highly interdisciplinary Urban Planning field, through both theoretical and empirical approaches, highlighting through appropriate case studies the type, range, and depth of its possible features.