Clusters como Novas Possibilidades de Regeneração Urbana e Reestruturação Produtiva: O Caso do Porto Digital, Recife

Abstract

This paper focuses on the case of Recife's Digital Port as example of an economic cluster - an agglomeration of small and medium-sized enterprises from the same productive sector, gathered, along with research and development institutions and local government agencies, in the same geographic space. It is located in Recifes's old harbour region, which has been the object of important revitalization initiatives since the 1990s, complemented, more recently, by incentives and infrastructure aimed at attracting cutting-edge firms dealing with information and communication technology. Sponsored by the State Government, the initiative is based on its own Development Plan and has a Managing Nucleus. Despite being still in an initial phase, the project presents some promising results. This experience shows that clusters are capable of fostering urban regeneration processes in areas subject to productive restructuring.