Towards an urban quality framework: determining critical measures for different geographical scales to attract and retain talent in cities

In the era of knowledge economy, offerings of urban spaces are critical for success in the tough rivalry to attract and retain knowledge workers and industries. Many cities foster knowledge-based urban developments through strategies to make urban spaces more appealing to talent and investment. These strategies focus on enhancing urban quality—that is a multidimensional phenomenon with numerous economic, social, environmental, and personal aspects. Urban quality is impacted by diverse factors at different geographic scales—i.e., regional, urban, and local levels. At present there is no clear understanding on how synergies across these different geographic scales work. This study aims to investigate the connotations and characteristics of urban quality measures at various geographic scales through the review of literature and best practice studies. Based on the review findings, the paper proposes directions to build a multidimensional and multi-scalar urban quality framework that assigns relevant quality measures to each geographic scale. This paper sheds light on the urban quality policy and performance assessment issues in the context of knowledge and innovation spaces, and generate insights for urban planners and policymakers in planning and developing appealing local conditions in their cities