Imagine a place where going to work means biking freely without the fear of cars to a coffee shop, where one collaborates with other people from nearby start-ups, research labs or universities. Sounds like a Portlandia episode? Truth is, a report released by the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program earlier this week states that such work environments are starting to emerge organically throughout the world – they’re called Innovation Districts.
These districts are defined as “geographic areas where anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with small firms, startups, business incubators and accelerators.” Additionally, innovation districts are “physically compact, transit accessible, technically wired and offer a mix of housing, office and retail.”
Having a compact district where firms are near other firms, research labs and universities allows for “open innovation,” which is the sharing of ideas from “legal advice to sophisticated lab equipments.”
This environment, emerging particularly in the U.S. post Great Recession, is a far departure from the landscape of innovation that has dominated the past 50 years – suburban corridors of isolated corporate campuses, accessible mainly by car with little to no attention to integrating work, housing and recreation.
Here are six cities in the U.S. from East Coast to West Coast with areas that fit Brookings’ definition of Innovation District (and to learn more about each, take a look at Brookings' visually compelling report here):
1. Boston: Innovation District
2. Philadelphia: University City
3. Raleigh–Durham: Research Triangle Park
4. Detroit: Downtown, Midtown
5. St. Louis: Cortex
6. Seattle: South Lake Union
Related Stories
Architects | Apr 4, 2018
8 things to consider before using digital media to communicate with employees
The Marlin Company, a visual communications and digital signage provider, published a guide that outlines eight basic questions, along with some advice, about workplace digital signage.
Education Facilities | Mar 30, 2018
How can we design safer schools in the age of active shooters?
How can we balance the need for additional security with design principles that foster a more nurturing next-generation learning environment for students?
Architects | Mar 26, 2018
Designing for homeless facilities: Critical spaces to consider
The City of San Diego is home to the fourth largest homeless population in the U.S.
Education Facilities | Mar 23, 2018
An introvert's oasis: How to create learning environments for all student types
In order to understand why a school day can be so grueling for an introverted student, it’s important to know what it means to be introverted, writes NAC Architecture’s Emily Spiller.
Architects | Mar 22, 2018
The benefits and nuances of integrated design
Achieving integrated design usually means operating under a strong relationship.
Architects | Mar 14, 2018
Becoming nature: The building design evolution meets the living building revolution
With the environmental movement, sustainability became a marker of innovation in design for the built environment.
Office Buildings | Mar 12, 2018
Sound advice on workplace design
Thoughtful design, paired with a change management program to educate staff, can both enhance connectivity and minimize distractions.
Architects | Mar 9, 2018
Designing healthier buildings: Fitwel certification system
The Fitwel certification system is relatively simple and involves registering a building on a custom scorecard.
Architects | Mar 7, 2018
Balkrishna Doshi named 2018 Pritzker Laureate
Over the course of 70 years, Doshi was instrumental in shaping the discourse of architecture throughout India, from low-cost housing for thousands to landmark projects like the Indian Institute of Management.
Architects | Mar 7, 2018
New National Building Museum exhibit explores the architecture of the Manhattan Project
The exhibit will run through March 3, 2019.