Strategic Human Capital Creation: Public Universities’ Role in Sustainable Economic Development.

Human capital is an important resource for local and regional economic development. In this chapter, the importance of human capital is articulated. Higher quality human capital provides specialized knowledge to support emerging technology and support industrial growth. Opportunities to develop human capital can also add to general quality of life via better health care, educational opportunities and access to arts and entertainment. One area of exploration is the role of local universities on the development of local human capital. While the role of universities in degree attainment is the traditional view, we complement this approach by arguing that universities can more directly impact citizens’ financial security and meaningful work via providing a wider array of adult learning opportunities. A learning city model, articulated by the UNESCO Global Learning Cities Network, provides an integrating framework for cities to improve quality of life by creating tighter linkages with local higher education institutions.