Examining knowledge management factors in the creation of new city : Empirical evidence from Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou, China

Purpose – This paper seeks to address issues of sustainability in the rapid urbanization in China with examination of knowledge management factors in the creation of new Chinese cities. Design/methodology/approach – A case study was undertaken at Zhengdong New District along with semi‐structured interview mixed with evaluation and content analyses of successful knowledge management factors as the analytical approach. Findings – This study explores the ongoing revolution of building new cities and towns in China, and highlights the importance of knowledge‐based development in achieving sustainable development. Following the establishment of the theory and model of the knowledge city, it explores the features of knowledge city in practice. Focusing on the case study of Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, it examines the factors of knowledge management in the creation of the new city. However, it is believed that the strategic development plan was made following the principles of sustainability. Furthermore, it has been accepted that the strategic plan reflexes the framework and sustains various features of the knowledge city, which could be seen as the embryo of knowledge city in China. In the meantime, it has to be recognised that the outcome of the evaluation of Zhengdong New District, which has been discussed in this paper, is merely the audit of what is currently happening in the first phase of the project and reflexes the current issues, and might give impact to the implementation of municipal government strategy in the future. Originality/value – This paper concludes that, while the local authority is endeavouring to build a physically modern city, it might have overlooked the importance of using knowledge management principles as a tool to promote social, cultural, and environmental sustainability. Yet the analysis in this paper demonstrates that it is not impossible to use knowledge management framework as a tool to assist policy makers governing the creation of a new city in a sustainable way. The discussion in this paper is expected to be thought‐provoking in a holistic understanding of the theoretical perspective of knowledge city and further research into this field in the Chinese context.