Revealing the innovation resilience of urban agglomerations: A case study of the Pearl River Delta

Abstract

The innovation systems of urban agglomerations face increasingly complex challenges; if such systems are to effectively respond to external shocks and maintain sustainable innovation growth, their innovation resilience must be enhanced. Based on a complex systems perspective, this study constructs a multidimensional theoretical framework and methodological system for understanding and measuring the innovation resilience of urban agglomerations. The framework considers four dimensions of innovation and two aspects of resilience and is applied and discussed using the Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban agglomeration as a case study. We find that, first, the innovation resilience of the PRD urban agglomeration exhibits long‐term dynamic changes rather than remaining in a static state of equilibrium. After experiencing shocks, its innovation system goes through phases of resistance and adaptation, with a tendency to evolve to a higher level. Second, high‐intensity innovation inputs and efficient innovation outputs are the main drivers of sustained improvement in innovation resilience. At the same time, close innovation cooperation and well‐developed innovation space are shown to play an important role. Third, spatial imbalances and spatial spillovers are evident in relation to the innovation resilience of urban agglomerations, with cooperative innovation between cities within the agglomeration increasing their ability to respond to external challenges. This study extends the concept of innovation resilience to the regional scale, enhancing the theoretical understanding of resilience mechanisms while providing a transferable evaluation framework. This approach enables an assessment of the capacity of regions—across diverse economic‐geographical contexts—to withstand and adapt to innovation‐related risks.