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Global industrial restructuring is a main reason for the current state and shape of contemporary European cities. A major problem in peripheral regions in Europe is the loss of the process and assembly segment of industrial production. Two approaches, tourism and high-tech innovation, are at the forefront of city transformation in post-industrial Europe. As tourism is a well-established development driver, we analyse whether digital innovation, a subset of high-tech innovation, can be a parallel pathway for peripheral regions to achieve more resilient and balanced development. This paper describes two digital innovation models, one in London and another in Berlin, as city development drivers to speculate on their limits and suitability for developing peripheral regions. As their direct translation is difficult, this paper defines assessment criteria within the triple helix model of innovation and re-casts them through the concept of slow innovation, which is applicable in peripheral regions. We conclude that there are different pathways to achieving suitable digital innovation conditions and that although digital innovation is currently not a major development driver in the periphery, it will be viable if interpreted through peripheral concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]