Abstract
The change and transformation that cities are going through have added new dimensions to the city-creativity relations. Cities began to contribute and direct the development of a knowledge economy depending on their openness to change, the possibilities and opportunities they bring for sharing ideas, as well as being an attraction for a well-qualified labor force and consumers. The aim of this paper is to explore the creative city and creative university relations by focusing on Istanbul Technical University as a case. The creative city/region supports innovative and dynamic types of industries through general and specialized infrastructure systems. The creative city, with its environment and infrastructure, offers several layers, by creating opportunities for people to develop new ideas, establish relations and realize innovative projects. As an independent and active component, a knowledge- based infrastructure is comprised of a well-organized system of education and research taking place within higher education institutes and research centers. In such a system, universities and research centers as knowledge intensive institutions and organizations have strategic importance and potential for accelerating the city in the creative sense.
