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Covid-19 has been among the most disruptive events in recent decades. At the time of writing, it has caused more than 5 million deaths worldwide and considerable economic losses. However, it has also sped up the process of technological development and technology adoption. One sector that has been deeply affected by the impact of the pandemic is higher education, which mainly includes universities. The higher education sector is a key sector in all types of societies. This strategic role lies in its mission to create and transmit knowledge. Given the universal importance of the higher education sector and the high impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on it, this study seeks to focus on this area by identifying the characteristics of the literature generated on this topic through the use of bibliometric techniques in the Scopus database. The searches were carried out in November 2021. The search terms were: Covid-19 AND ({higher education} OR (universities)). In order to delimit the scope of analysis, the areas of social science, human science, psychology, business management, and economics were selected. Only documents in English were included. As a result, 1,856 documents were obtained.

Knowledge Cities (KC) and Smart Cities (SC) have made significant investments with influence throughout the world in only four decades. This has occurred although these concepts are still being developed, being urgent to advance in their understanding. This article focuses on comparing these types of cities, seeking to understand their approaches, the fields of study in which they are developed and the lines of action in which they are projected. A mixed methodology is applied, qualitative to deepen the concepts and quantitative through the VOS viewer software, which is used to process more than two thousand articles indexed in Scopus. We found that the KC is formed around the notion of change of the productive matrix and develops issues related to its urban spatial and social conformation. While the SC concept is developed in the technological sciences, relating more to the use of the internet of things (IoT), big data, cloud computing, and its application in the city.

Based on a shift in the production matrix from goods and services to knowledge and innovation, countries on at least three continents have invested in the construction of knowledge cities. However, to what extent are knowledge cities (KCs) linked to the information and communications technology (ICT) on which they are based? Are KCs a technological consequence, or a political ideology oriented towards the reinforcement of an economic system? To answer these questions, three global examples and the 22@Barcelona case study were examined using qualitative methods. The findings revealed how political agreements and the modification of urban plans impacted the cities. We observed existing relationships among ICT, KCs, and the business structure that was implemented, although the latter was not part of the KCs. This study presents a theoretical input for KCs and highlights the need for new urban and architectural spaces that respond to the innovative milieu of nascent societies.

Several authors defend that the interaction between people of diverse areas help the interchange of information, and with this the production of innovation. Barcelona's knowledge city, under the 22@Barcelona Plan, modify its land use looking for the confluency of the different interested parts and the city hall through the 22@ Society promotes the creation of the 22@Network association. The objective of this association is to start this innovative milieu through the strengthening network between the stakeholders. This organizes meetings in rotative but improvised spaces. Thus, the questions which guide this paper are: Do knowledge city spaces strengthen the spontaneous interaction? Do these interactions events contribute to the construction of an inclusive city?The objectives of this work are: i). Identify the stakeholders in the construction of the knowledge city, in the different phases of the 22 @ plan, ii). Identify the different actions, both physical and social, aimed at interaction for innovation, and iii). Describe the type of interactions that are promoted through the 22 @ Network and its variants through both public and private institutions, and an approach to spontaneous interaction. To develop these objectives, a qualitative method is used, based on a case study. It starts with a review of the official documentation of the plan and its background, interviews with various stakeholders and participant observation between 2013 and 2016. This work seeks to give greater clarity to the actions that help build the so-called innovative environment, its successes and shortcomings in terms of interaction for innovation, inclusion and equity. We found that changes in land use arise prior agreement of actors from the public, private, academic and, to a certain extent, social sectors. The process involved a constant tension among the various actors due to their different interests. It reveals a very active society, whose power struggle is taking shape on the territory, with a strong intervention of the public and private sector. The interactions of innovation are mainly preconceived by the 22@Network association. This is an interaction aimed at joining forces, with no room for dissent, with low representation of the community. We also found that there is a synergy of spontaneous interaction that goes beyond what was foreseen and the district analysed.This work delves into an important area of the knowledge city, in the construction of the innovative milieu, whose progress is of fundamental importance when a large number of cities on four continents allocate resources to its construction.

Quince años luchando por un espacio "adquirido" en las márgenes de la ciudad, resistieron un tiroteo, el incendio de algunas de las primeras casas, una hora al transporte público, las facturas del agua que no llega a casa y de una toma eléctrica provisional. Hoy su casa y la zona han mejorado. Pero al 2011 parece llegar algo excepcionalmente decisivo "la legalización de la propiedad". Sin embargo el resultado es que la zona es de protección natural y se decide cuantas y cuales familias serán realojadas tras un censo realizado por sorpresa. Los vecinos del bario recibieron escépticos al equipo de investigación, sin embargo los buscaron tras una nueva amenaza nocturna. El caso se descarto sin ser resuelto. Esto hace parte de uno de los 4 barrios que se estudió en Quito, en donde la regularización analizada, cuando ha llegado de poco o nada ha servido, y cuando ha sido realmente necesaria, no ha llegado.