This research aims to investigate the interactions between knowledge capital and social vulnerability through a comparative study on the U.S and Australian cities. Based on the theoretical framing of knowledge city and social vulnerability, it explores how knowledge city opportunities interact with social vulnerability, and how the cities in developed world should be prepared for the dual challenges of technological shift and social vulnerability. To achieve the research aims the project follows a quantitative approach and creates knowledge cities index and social vulnerability index using the Australian Census, the U.S Census and American Community Survey and IPUMS data.
The research found that some cities are well positioned to grow and advance in the emerging technology-driven and knowledge-based economy, but others lack the infrastructure and capacity to resist and survive the impacts of technological redundancy. Typologies of the cities has been developed from those indices, such as best performing and least performing cities in each study countries. The research will give a better understating of policy makers of how automation will impact our cities and society and how social vulnerability issues need to be addressed in those lower knowledge-economy based cities to make them inclusive.
