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The purpose of this paper is to share how a professional service firm transposed Richard Florida’s “Creative Class” concept from the urban environment into a corporate one for the purpose of organisational change. The validity of Florida’s concept is not here reviewed; rather, the paper is a case study on how his theory – that talent, technology and tolerance compose the high-value triptych driving a city’s growth and attractiveness – can be appropriated by HR to trigger profound changes in corporate governance and culture.

The paper provides a return on experience of a project that was implemented at Mazars, an international mid-cap of 20,000 people in 86 countries, over the course of one year. Approximately, 50 individuals participated in the initiative, lead by the firm’s HR leadership team, which used an under the radar approach based on a revamped version of Owen’s Open Space Technology. From an academic perspective, the approach is inspired by Argyris’ action science, and more specifically a derivation of the “double loop learning” where the initial intent of the research might be modified by intermediary findings.

The paper offers a model for identifying the members of the “creative class” in a corporate environment and a tested approach for integrating the “creative class” into the exclusive and institutional exercise of setting strategy. The cumulative effect of this “unofficial” operation is the creation of unique thought leadership and projects, some of which have now been officially adopted in the four-year strategic plan and institutionalized in the new governance system, results difficult to achieve through conventional approaches.

The case study, which is still in progress, has been implemented in a non-conventional organisation in a very specific industry.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first application of Richard Florida’s urban renewal theory in the corporate environment. This is an example of innovative HR management responding quickly and effectively to the digital, disrupted business landscape. It is designed in the modern managerial spirit of test-and-learn, structured as an agile initiative in an open-source world. It provides a prototype to be replicated and tested in other environments.

A great deal of literature exists on such topics as the problems and challenges of British manufacturing industry, on the need to encourage the growth of small firms, and on the urban planning activities of revitalizing sections of our cities with new industry and new housing projects. That literature ranges through articles in the business press, colourful publicity brochures, pamphlets of guide lines and advice, and detailed research studies. But what is it like to launch and manage a small manufacturing company in a new urban development area? What is it like to work in such a firm?

This paper aims to analyze Hangzhou Urban Brain in responding to COVID-19, including systematically sorting out the development mode, capabilities, composition and application of Urban Brain and exploring its role and effect. This paper tries to provide a reference for other cities' digital infrastructure construction through case analysis.

The authors took Hangzhou Urban Brain as a typical case in urban digital infrastructure construction, and they conducted thorough research on its practice in facing COVID-19. The authors analyzed the key elements of Urban Brain, the application and the evaluation of Urban Brain through literature review, field investigation, questionnaire and interviews.

Hangzhou Urban Brain has been deeply applied in urban management and has a good foundation. Therefore, when the COVID-19 occurred, the Urban Brain played an important role. The detailed practices facing COVID-19 are mainly in five aspects: information collection and analysis, ensuring material supply by government–enterprise collaboration, using AI and Big Data to “Visualize” COVID-19, etc. Moreover, Urban Brain has won high evaluation. However, Hangzhou Urban Brain still has problems like data privacy and security, technical issues, etc.

This case study shows that Hangzhou's experience in Urban Brain construction is worthy of reference and promotion. Firstly, it can strengthen the understanding of digital infrastructure in responding to public health emergencies. Furthermore, it provides a reference for other urban governance worldwide by excavating the role and effect of digital infrastructure in preventing and controlling COVID-19. Thirdly, it explores how to improve the digital infrastructure construction to support public health challenges, which will help the cities grasp the actual value of data and make progress in this field. By this, it can provide references for cities in the world, especially in Asia to achieve sustainable city development.

The purpose of this article is to provide organized, synthesized information related to initiatives throughout the world based on knowledge‐based development (KBD) such as knowledge cities (KCs), knowledge regions, and knowledge countries. A first search was conducted using the Internet and specialized databases under the keywords “knowledge cities”. The information compiled led to other related keywords which branched out the search. All resulting information was then collated and integrated into a number of categories all unified under the field of knowledge‐based development. A compilation of information on the topic “knowledge cities” and other topics related to knowledge‐based development. The information is presented in eight sections: a glossary of KC‐related terms, a list of knowledge‐based development initiatives, a list of associations and organizations related to the topic, a list of urban KBD‐related value dimensions and their indicators, a list of international rankings, a list of special editions on KCs, a bibliography, and a directory of related sites on the Internet. This effort resulted in a public service available at the World Wide Web. The information included in this compilation is limited mainly to public domain information available throughout Internet in both English and Spanish, as well as in selected databases.

This study aims to better understand the micro–meso–macro perspective in social marketing, through the examination of a transformative, primarily meso-level initiative aimed at developing more resilient communities in the face of disaster.

Research was oriented around two cases of community resilience planning. Relevant documents were reviewed, and a series of semi-structured interviews with the manager and advisors in an emergency management office were conducted, followed by in-depth interviews with 15 individual community participants.

The findings suggest a multilevel (micro–meso–macro) model of social change, incorporating fluid and interactive movement between the levels. In the context examined, community leaders were initially motivated to be involved due to their role, sense of altruism and curiosity. Their motivation to continue was encouraged, as misconceptions around emergency response were addressed and the value of community connections was highlighted. As planning progressed, greater involvement and empowerment resulted.

This study is limited in its focus on two communities, and the context of emergency preparation and response. However, it contributes insights into a leading initiative designed to help build community resilience and insights into a micro–meso–macro perspective of social change.

The study also suggests that social marketers, when implementing a meso-level initiative, will benefit from considering multiple levels, seeking the involvement and cooperation of meso-level leaders which will help facilitate downstream change.

Contributing to the discussion of the micro–meso–macro levels of social marketing, this research examines disaster preparation and response – a context not frequently examined in social marketing. Findings suggest that interactive, multi-level thinking, especially considering the individual implementers of meso-level change as a “target market”, will benefit social well-being initiatives.

The Colorado Digitization Program has received several IMLS Leadership Grants. The Heritage Colorado and Western Trails grant projects both involved extensive collaboration between libraries, museums, historical societies and archives. Successful collaborative activities included creating best practices, metadata and scanning standards, training, metadata input tools, technological interoperability, and funding strategies.

This paper aims to examine the context of the emergence of Places Rated Almanacs (PRA), their success as a source of place‐based knowledge, and their limitations as predictors of patterns of migration. The paper addresses whether, as an entrepreneurial product created in the spaces arising from the roll back of the nation state and the foregrounding of the local, competitive marketplace, PRAs continue to have relevance. It examines the utility of this knowledge resource in a new era where specific talent attraction and retention is central to neoliberal strategies for economic development.

The paper offers an analysis of the correlations between PRA ratings and recent migration patterns is undertaken to explore their explanatory power. The contemporary significance of PRA is examined both in terms of the almanac's resonance with actual patterns of migration in the USA, and its resonance with contemporary debates over talent flows.

It is concluded that place ratings offer only a partial resonance with actual patterns of mobility. Despite the changing political economic context with new neoliberal agendas in place competition, there is potentially continuing utility of such PRAs. The paper argues that greater engagement with contemporary debates over talent attraction, place attachment and social learning would enhance the knowledge basis of such guides.

Within a knowledge economy, the attraction and retention of key talent has become vital. Place rating guides can be a useful resource as a tool within this neoliberal strategy for economic growth. This paper indicates how the established guides such as the PRA need to be updated to retain their utility.