A typology on Urban Business models. The city as a business model

Abstract

This is an explorative case study on Urban Business models. Within the research the city is seen as a business model. In order to create value, people work collectively together and create value with the existing resources. These resources are distinguished in the following five types of idle capacity: Material, spatial, social, institutional, and financial. In making use of those capacities configurations could be made between the different types. These configurations possibly could lead to a typology on urban business models.

The study is done within five neighbourhoods in The Netherlands, with three different methods of data collection; analyses of available documents, focus group interviews and individual interviews. Data analysis was based upon the Grounded Theory Approach, with a deductive analysis scheme. The result indicates that the typology exists of three different types of neighbourhoods, characterized by some configurations of the idle capacity. This created typology could only be seen as an explorative one, suitable for further research.