CITY-FORMING ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES: IMPACT ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT OF CITIES

Abstract

The article presents the results of an evaluation of universities’ role in shaping cities and impact on their socio-economic and spatial development. Using the examples of Lund and Cambridge as university cities, it examines the positive and negative aspects of studentification. Universities exert a multifaceted influence on city development manifested in economic dynamics, demographic shifts, spatial changes, and community cohesion issues. The specifics of contemporary social, economic, and spatial aspects of "studentification" are highlighted through the case studies of Lund and Cambridge. Concentration of students, constituting nearly a third of residents, emerges as the primary outcome of university influence, affecting population dynamics, shaping age structure, and mitigating population aging. Universities’ pivotal role lies in knowledge production and high-quality personnel training, fostering innovative economic sectors within cities. Assessing universities’ spatial impact on city development, GIS-generated heat maps illustrate the distribution of bicycle infrastructure and service areas in urban spaces. The correlation between bicycle parking, entertainment venues, eateries, and other service facilities concentration with university infrastructure and main student accommodation places is evident. Challenges in city development encompass seasonal load on the city environment and infrastructure, the "city and mantle" phenomenon fostering conflicts between residents and students over urban planning, new housing construction, and use of public spaces, alongside issues of gentrification and spatial segregation. Conducting a SWOT analysis of Lund and Cambridge as university cities, this article outlines their development strategies.