The Brookings Institution launched a new guide to help local leaders assess their innovation districts.
“Assessing your innovation district: A how-to guide,” provides a framework to audit the assets that comprise local innovation ecosystems. The document is designed to aid in targeting resources toward innovative and inclusive economic development based on an area’s unique strengths and challenges.
The framework is centered on a set of key questions:
1. Critical mass: Where are the region’s highest concentrations of innovation assets?
2. Innovation capacity: Is the district leveraging and aligning its distinctive advantages to grow and strengthen firms’ innovation capacity?
3. Diversity and inclusion: Does the district have an inclusive, diverse, and opportunity-rich environment?
4. Quality of place: Does the district have physical and social assets that attract a diversity of firms and people, increase interactions, and accelerate innovation outcomes?
5. Leadership: Does the district have the leadership necessary to succeed?
The guide provides sample methods and data that can be used to answer these questions. It also includes advice on the indicators that innovation district stakeholders can track to gauge their district’s success, along with suggestions for how additional measures could be used to further fuel district growth and development.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | May 7, 2019
Office noise significantly reducing employee concentration, productivity, and creativity
Workplace distractions cause some to choose to work remotely.
Codes and Standards | May 7, 2019
WSP USA says it will be carbon neutral in 2019
Engineering firm will offset carbon at all offices and with employee business travel.
Codes and Standards | Apr 25, 2019
Report: Contractors invest $1.6 billion in workforce development annually
ABC members increased training spending 45% from 2013, according to a new report.
Codes and Standards | Apr 25, 2019
New York City’s Green New Deal would ban all-glass skyscrapers
The ambitious plan would also boost affordable housing, reduce building emissions, and update codes to account for sea level rise.
Codes and Standards | Apr 25, 2019
Chicago, Houston, and Dallas deemed ‘most dangerous cities for migratory birds’
The three cities are in the heart of North America’s most trafficked aerial corridors.
Codes and Standards | Apr 19, 2019
Notre Dame fire highlights danger of renovating historic structures
The devastating fire at Notre-Dame de Paris is the latest blaze to damage or destroy historic buildings while undergoing renovations. It highlights how vulnerable such structures are to fire while undergoing repairs.
Codes and Standards | Apr 19, 2019
Developers and owners can now join AIA 2030 Commitment
Organization offers tools and resources for working toward net-zero design.
Codes and Standards | Apr 19, 2019
New method of manufacturing cement removes CO2 from the air
Breakthrough could have significant impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Codes and Standards | Apr 12, 2019
Deadline nears on New York City sprinkler requirement for tall office buildings
The mandate applies to all buildings regardless of when constructed.
Codes and Standards | Apr 8, 2019
LEED v4.1 now available for cities, communities, residential/homes
The rating system emphasizes performance monitoring, fully integrated design, social equity, and human health.