In the history of human civilization, cities have played and continue to play the role of centers of innovation and drivers of socio-economic progress. However, growth of cities sometimes takes diverse trajectories, from heyday to complete oblivion. The opening up of the potential of cities and the possibilities of conducting innovative activities in them are largely determined by the state of the urban environment, primarily intellectual. In turn, city environment is strongly influenced by side effects of efforts that are being made to solve problems that are not directly related to its development. The review examines how the intellectual environment of cities is affected by such modern trends as the creation of technoparks and university campuses, the formation of creative spaces and the introduction of smart city technologies. The author believes that their effectiveness in terms of using the innovative potential of cities could be higher if government policy focused not on individual components, but on interconnections, and considered the communication component of the urban intellectual environment.