Connecting geographies of innovation and polycentric urban regions through anchoring and mobility

Polycentric urban regions (PURs) and innovation are core concepts in urban and regional studies. Both PURs and innovation promote regional economic development, yet they have never been fully integrated in regional studies. This paper traces how geographies of innovation and PURs have developed in parallel and proposes ‘anchoring’ and ‘mobility’ as conceptual tools for better understanding how innovation occurs within PURs. This is empirically stress-tested through a service value matrix comprising 319 innovative firms and 11 cities in the world’s largest PUR, the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, to reveal how bridging these concepts is key to unlocking a new and deeper understanding of knowledge dynamics, and innovation potential, in PURs.