Sunday, August 31, 2014

••• READ FIRST, an introduction •••


FEBRURARy 2021 Entry: Jane Talkington, PhD innovation and sustainability scholar, strives to maintain a list of self-defined "innovation districts" in the U.S. There are now over 90 examples of communities pursuing an innovation-driven economy through the establishment of an innovation district (terminology varies among these developments). BREAKING NEWS: How Innovation Districts are searching for Coronavirus solutions! HERE.

HOT NEWS: VIRGINIA TECH releases architectural renderings HERE. Imagine a Christmas Tree as a building, that's Amazon's sketch: https://wtop.com/arlington/2021/02/amazon-penplace-plans-in-arlington-va-include-a-double-helix-inspired-nature-infused-tower/

For a list of universities entering the fray with an "Innovation Campus" - Click HERE.
Dr. Talkington's dissertation was one of the first research publications to cover the innovation district phenomenon. The Fostering Innovation book puts innovation districts in context of other historical innovation communities that innovated for survival, economic development, or other goals. Fostering Innovation is a valuable resource for anyone planning or promoting an innovation district and contains hundreds of peer-reviewed references. 




Other Resources:

July 2019 FINALLY, an innovation district infuses SUSTAINABILITY into their prime directive! Congratulations to Bonn, Germany! Follow their progress HERE.

Read about Toronto's ambition plans for their waterfront HERE.  They offer a 1,500-page master plan available for public review. 

Nov 2018 article explains the economic necessity of public-private partnerships HERE.

A February 2019 article about Amazon & NYC: The Perils of Partnerships between business and higher ed HERE.
March 2019: Out of 238 proposals for a new Amazon HQ2 (which is now called NATIONAL LANDING, not Crystal City), 26 are now publicly available for review HERE. MISSING from the bids were environmental letters and creativity and collaboration. Hmmmmm, if only there was a book about the importance of Sustainability-Oriented Innovation being infused into economic development plans. If only . . . 

As I documented in my research, PROXIMITY is a key factor to foster innovation. This article on architectural design of collaborative spaces on campuses is pure eye candy! HERE.

Innovation district advocates need to widen the circle to capture more community support. An excellent article in the NYTimes July 2018 gives examples of cities that build trust and rebuild their economies. HERE

A shout out goes to McGill University for (officially) recognizing and infusing "social and culture: as a pillar in the foundation of their innovation district. Context, Context, Context!
Click • HERE • to explore the four pillars.

The UK calls for multiple innovation districts based on "place" July 2020 article.

A highly regarded contribution to innovation district planning comes an excellent report "Austin Anchors & The Innovation Zone: Building Collaborative Capacity" – download the PDF here. 

Milwaukee's Mayor released a strategic plan about collaboration over competition; this is the 21st century approach.  

Houston used their bid for Amazon headquarters to catalyze their innovation corridor.

Creating a community of technology innovators was a DREAM of Walt Disney. In 1966, Walt saw his concept as a grand experiment; in fact, he called it the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. He died within months of unveiling his lifelong dream and those who inherited his plans scaled them back to a theme park called EPCOT that celebrated innovation rather than a living, breathing, thriving community of innovator. Walt understood the benefits from PROXIMITY of his talent: visit minute 26:15 on this Disney documentary.

Video of a very cool innovation district: Cornell Tech. Hear the designers describe a "co-location" building at minute 3:10.

Innovation Anywhere? Evidently. See how Wichita State University dozens of discussions about innovation districts with their campus community. Their 3-D video flyover shows an early version of their vision. Forbes Magazine article July 2017 reinforces that innovation districts happen in small and large cities – wherever networks are created.

As of 2015, there were 9 states in the U.S. with no evidence – publicly available at least – specifically on "innovation district" planning. Either those plans are private, the label is unique, they eluded my Google search radar, the city is so drenched in innovation they defy or shun a formal label (think Boulder or Crystal City or Las Vegas). Many traditional university research parks are intentionally evolving into innovation districts so as they make that formal declaration, they are added to the list. To get a very good and quick historical primer from the economic development perspective read Ed Morrison of Alabama (formerly Purdue).

What is an Innovation District Anyway???

"a collaboration by a city-college-corporation 
that creates a connective corridor 
designed specifically to foster a community network
that supports innovation between a campus and collaborators."


Bruce Katz of The Brookings Institute brought order to the Wild West of innovation district development by defining them by three typologies in his book "The Rise of Innovation Districts": The “anchor plus” model, the “re-imagined urban areas” model, and "urbanized science park" model. Anchor Plus examples: Cortex St. Louis, Kendall Square in Cambridge with a start-up incubator, University City in Philadelphia, Re-imagined Urban Areas: South Lake Union in Seattle, Boston Seaport, Brooklyn Navy Yard.Urbanized Science Parks: Research Park Triangle in Raleigh-Durham, University of Arizona Tech Park, University of Virginia.

The BLOG by Bruce on the Brookings Website is an excellent source for current innovation district progress. Watch Bruce's 23-minute presentation.



From the Brookings slideshow: When 75% of the nation's GDP is generated in these 100 metros, you can predict where the next wave of innovation districts will likely emerge.

This begs the question, if a city is NOT in the green dot. . .  do they have the underlying assets, networks, capital, expertise, and commitment to even consider establishing an innovation district? Anthony Flint at CITY LAB explores the question HERE.

And now a little humor from the Onion as they poke fun at Innovation District funding.

A Collection of RFQs

The following are examples of Request for Qualifications to the planning and architecture firms to bid on future innovation projects. 

Pittsburgh, PA 2-9-2015: a PDF will pop-up when you click HERE.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Innovation Campus List

A MAJOR article about "innovation campus" examples in the New York Times, August 2016
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/07/education/edlife/innovation-campus-entrepreneurship-engineering-arts.html


Corporations often create a corporate innovation campus for their own product development. 
These are usually not affiliated with a university, but do contribute to economic development.
Example: Ford in the Corktown District of Detroit:  



CALIFORNIA
LA (a campus, but not a higher ed campus)
https://laincubator.org/la-kretz-innovation-campus/

CALFORNIA
UC-Davis creates AGGIE SQUARE
https://statescoop.com/uc-davis-partners-with-sacramento-to-open-innovation-hub

CONNECTICUT

COLORADO (CU's Anschutz Medical Campus )
blurring the line between innovation district and innovation campus
http://fitzscience.org/innovate/

KANSAS (Wichita State University)
http://wsuinnovationcampus.org

MISSOURI
A building, but not a "campus" at the Missouri Innovation Campus

Montana State University - Bozeman, MT
http://msuinnovationcampus.com
http://bozemansunriserotary.org/speakers/4813399b-8fcd-4b9d-b360-a0fe2f8cae90
https://innovate.unl.edu/news/researchers-offer-preview-innovation-campus-greenhouse

NEBRASKA
UTAH


ACADEMIC ARTICLES on Innovation Campus concept

A central question within planning theory is how changes between the relations of ‘grand institutions’ such as state, market and education influence the formation of objects ‘on the ground’. Drawing upon Foucault’s work, this article contributes to the understanding of these relations and argues that Foucault’s work provides a powerful set of tools to understand the formation of subjects and objects in spatial planning. It presents the case of the ‘innovation campus’ in the Netherlands, a model which originated from the ‘university campus’. Through an analysis of multiple campus-building ‘events’, the innovation campus appears as a model to entice and shape a new object: the entrepreneurial researcher.


The corporation on campus: Balancing responsibility and innovation

A classic from the former President of Harvard University, Dr. Derek Bok, written in 1982.


Friday, August 29, 2014

A COLLECTION of PDF Brochures of Innovation Districts and Web Sites of Wexford Projects


BEST SLOGAN?
This Place of Opportunity and Enterprise, 
of Love and Laughter, of Culture and Community, 
of Knowledge and Invention. This Place. 
This Powerful Partnership. 
This Theatre of Ambition.


Seattle South Lake and Atlanta Midtown are both in THIS article. 

University of Florida at Gainsville PDF brochure HERE. 

The Wake Forest Innovation Quarter "work-live-learn-play" 12-page brochure is listed as "great ideas" and you can download it HERE.

Wichita State's "Innovation University" page has an option at the bottom to download a flyer.

Wexford Science and Technology (a biomed reality company) is behind about a dozen innovation districts and micro innovation districts. Search by city or university on their website. 



Tuesday, August 26, 2014

ALABAMA, Birmingham

Not quite a innovation district, but a very nice ecosystem profile brochure.

January 2016 update: A Rose by Any other Name.... Birmingham's entrepreneurial district is considering changing the name to Innovation District. Sounds like the project is progressing and maturing. 

ALABAMA, Florence (University of North Alabama)


See what Purdue's Ed Morrison is bringing his "Strategic Doing" framework to the University of North Alabama. SPARK GROWTH's video.

Upcoming certification course in Florence AL: HERE.

?•? ALASKA - not found

ARIZONA, Mesa

October 2018 Update. Light Rail is ready.
https://thearizona100.com/mesa-innovation-district/

Four years of discussions led up to a public meeting January 18, 2018.
http://www.mesachamber.org/events/details/the-rise-of-mesa-s-innovation-district-11607

ARIZONA, Scottsdale

Accelerator HERE. And isn't it cool that we all learn from each other? ABQ visited ASU, read HERE. You can visit ASU's SKYSONG too by just clicking HERE. Meet ASU's Julie Rosen. Here's a YOUTUBE drive by of the SkySong buildings.

ARIZONA, Tuscon

54 people in Tuscon are talking about innovation districts and what it could mean for their town.

Meanwhile, a research paper was published May 2015: the purpose of this paper is to provide basic empirical evidence to support the implementation of an innovation campus in downtown Tucson. This would be a satellite of the Arizona Center for Innovation (AZCI) currently located in the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park – an innovation, research and business center on the outskirts of Tucson. A multi-case study analysis will be performed where the results will be compared with that of the AZCI results, using the same criteria.

ARKANSAS, Little Rock "The Idea Economy"

It is hard to innovate on an empty stomach so Little Rock has a 5-minute VIDEO on "Creative Cuisine on the Creative Corridor." It is an effort by University of Arkansas at Little Rock (“UALR”), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (“UAMS”), and the City of Little Rock.

It is a technology park that is called an Innovation District; it seems to have a small footprint. It is good to see focus on a downtown. 

Monday, August 25, 2014

CALIFORNIA, Chula Vista (putting it out there)

The City of Chula Vista south of San Diego, California has land and is advertising for a university and innovation district to establish a new place. 
What an opportunity! 
I wonder who will have the vision, desire, and bucks pursue such an audacious dream??

Low on details, but this has been on their wish list for over two decades.

CALIFORNIA, Davis, (was exploring)

https://leadership.ucdavis.edu/aggie-square

June 2018:
The white buildings are placeholders, not 'Star Wars Storm Trouper' inspired architecture.
I hope.
https://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2018/06/21/uc-davis-plans-aggressive-development-of-aggie.html

AUGUST 2018:
https://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/ucd/aggie-square-will-enhance-ucds-ties-to-sacramento/

and the gentrification question has arisen early. Good.
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article209312279.html

CALIFORNIA, Freemont (Tesla, BART, and innovation district near SF Bay Area)

Being a diehard Ebenezer Howard fan I have to say, stories like this give me flashbacks to what good planning was in 1905. Of course TELSA is a great anchor! STORY HERE

You could call Tesla a magnet for other companies like this scooter manufacturer who moved to the innovation district.  

City plans 850 acres
Part of Silicon Valley culture of innovation. 

As Jeff Schwob says, an innovation takes a plan. A creative, thoughtful document to guide development.  

UPDATE: Oct 2014: Is this a micro-urban innovation district?