Dear Colleagues,

Regional economic development is a multidimensional phenomenon that relates to different socio-economic processes, acting simultaneously at different spatial scales. First, it is important to consider the impact of general economic processes, such as globalization or the emergence of cognitive-cultural capitalism, without losing sight of other profound changes; for example, on demographics or environmental spheres. Viewed from that perspective, the position of regions within global flows and networks of capital, firms, workers or knowledge represent only the first dimension to be analyzed in depth. At the same time, regions' differing responses to these global challenges must be taken into account. In this regard, experts agree on the importance of creating region competitive advantages, based on innovation and creativity. Thus, along with the study of various types of regional infrastructure, the role of clusters of firms, especially within strategic knowledge-based activities, currently deserves most of the attention. At the same time, the attraction and retention of human capital, who are frequently engaged in these sectors, have also become crucial issues. This context for regional economic development demands a multi-level and multi-actor governance to capitalize on regional socio-institutional networks and citizen participation. Place-based approaches, like Smart Specialization Strategies, underline the importance of all these aspects.Having said this, it should be considered that the trajectory and inheritances of each region influence future development opportunities. This Special Issue seeks to pay attention to growing urban regions, both in developed, as well as in emerging countries, although lessons learned from declining urban regions might also be of great interest.

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• global flows and networks
• infrastructures
• knowledge-based economy
• clusters
• human capital
• innovation and creativity
• institutions
• regional governance