To date, that meaning and the related concepts of spatial and territorial development has been dominated by a physical, geographic understanding of a defined 'place' – which has supported, for example, theories around proximity, central to the clustering concept - and a socio-economic understanding of 'place' as an economic system – a defined labour market with a set of local institutions and actors operating within that system. This paper suggests that a comprehensive approach should take in

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... nsideration a third criterion, embedding an organic and more holistic approach, encompassing culture, education, in one world, the local assets and needs. Such a complex approach, to be developed through an in-depth set of metrics and variables, can be visualised through a user-friendly metaphor to allow easy familiarisation amongst policy makers and stakeholders. It is therefore suggested that a "Sustainable Smart Specialisation wheel", complementing the two traditional concepts mentioned above with a third one representing cultural aspects of place, may offer a simple and elegant conceptual framework, which has real potential to be further developed and operationalised as a dynamic, responsive and effective novel evaluation tool for Smart Specialisation Strategies.