At oxford Research we are looking into the emergence of innovation districts. What are they, how do they develop, how can we as policy makers and regional and city planners facilitate the growth of attractive, dynamic, livable and highly innovative urban spaces? This presentation takes you into some of the findings and learnings from our work with innovation districts, clusters, innovation systems and smart livable cities.

1. Innovations Districts and the New Geography
of Innovation and Competitiveness
Presentation by Jakob Stoumann, Managing Director Oxford Research

2. 2
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We carry out tailor made analysis,
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• More than 50 highly specialised
consultants within business and regional
development, clustering, innovation, and
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• Offices in Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm,
Helsinki, Tallin, Poznan, Brussels, and New
York .

3. Shortly about me and my way
into ‘innovation districts’
Knowledge and experience from working
more than a decade with regional
development,
innovations systems & RDI programmes,
cluster development, attraction and
retention of investments, businesses and
talents…
Adding personal experience in urban design
and physical planning and anthropological
approaches…
Innovation Districts
Managing Director Oxford Research

4. Before taking you into ‘innovation districts...’
...let’s start with the beginning

5. S
...working with regional
devlopment, innovation and
urban design several
obervations started to puzzle
me..

6. In a time where we are told that tehcnology increasingly makes
place less important.....

8. ... and people, firms, and wealth do seem to concentrate in still
fewer geographical places.....

9. Some cities, areas, and districts seems to thrive and constantly
be on top of innovation and attractiveness....
They are good at reinventing themselves and seems to fastly
adapt to new trends and realities.

10. Global Competitiveness Index 2017

14. While other places seems not to matter any more.....

15. Even some cities and urban districts struggle.....

16. And real estate agencies report taht huge parking spaces,
plenty of cheap suburbian space, and proxitimity to main
roads are getting weak selling points...

17. A remarkable shift is occurring in the spatial geography
of innovation…
“For the past 50 years, the landscape of innovation has been dominated by suburban corridors of
spatially isolated corporate campuses, accessible only by car, with little emphasis on the quality
of life or on integrating work, housing and recreation…
… A new complementary urban model is now emerging, giving rise to what we and others are
calling “innovation districts.” - Bruce Katz & Julie Wagner

18. Innovation districts – what they are?
The trend is to nurture living,
breathing communities rather
than sterile remote, compounds
of research silos.”
– Pete Engardio, “Research Parks for the
Knowledge Economy,” Bloomberg Businessweek
Innovations districts are
geographic areas where
leading-edge anchor institutions
and companies cluster and
connect with start-ups, business
incubators and accelerators.
They are also physically
compact, transit-accessible, and
technically-wired and offer
mixed-use housing, office, and
retail.
- Bruce Katz, Brookings Institute

19. Innovation districts
what they are made of
Source: Bruce Katz, The Rise of Innovation Districts

20. Innovation districts – what they are made of
Economic assets consist of three categories
1. Innovation drivers are the research institutions, the
large firms, start-ups and entrepreneurs focused on
developing cutting-edge technologies, products and
services .
2. Innovation supporters include incubators, accelerators,,
tech transfer offices, shared working spaces, local high
schools, training firms,
3. Neighborhood-building amenities provide important
support services and/or meeting places to residents and
workers. E.g. grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, coffee
shops, small hotels and local retail

21. Innovation districts – what they are made of
Physical assets also has 3 dimensions:
1. Public realm: Parks, plazas, streets that encourage
activity and liveliness. Public spaces can also function as
living labs.
2. Private realm: privately-owned buildings and spaces
that stimulate innovation in new and creative ways. New
types of offices, shared spaces and services, affordable
housing, etc.
3. Infrastructural assets: Roads and connections that knit
together the area internally as well as to the
surrounding regions .

22. Innovation districts – what they are made of
Networking assets - both strong ties and weak ties
are fundamental to the innovation process and firm
success:
1. Strong ties: Relationships within similar fields. These
types of assets include: “tech regulars”, workshops and
training sessions for specific fields, industry-specific
conferences and meetings, etc..
2. Weak ties occur between people or firms working
within different contexts or economic clusters where
there is infrequent contact. Weak ties provide access to
new information, new contacts and business leads
outside of existing networks

23. Innovation districts
what they are made of
Source: Bruce Katz, The Rise of Innovation Districts

24. What’s new in the concept of innovation districts?
1. Diversity – from cluster, sectors and value
chain focus to cross ‘everything’
innovation.
2. From triple ‘helix to holistix’ – it’s the
melting pot of business, research, public
institutions, cultural players, leisure, civil
society that makes areas long term
innovative.
3. From macro physical focus on access and
infrastructure to micro focus on place
and livability as innovation facilitators
4. Inclusive growth – spillover effects to local
neighborhoods and local areas as living
labs
“The growing application of ‘open
innovation’[…] —has revalued
proximity, density, and other
attributes of cities. At the same time,
the growing preference of young
talented workers to congregate in
vibrant neighborhoods that offer
choices in housing, transportation,
and amenities has made urban and
urbanizing areas increasingly
attractive.”
– Bruce Katz, “Brooking Institute

25. From concept to policy
It’s with innovation districts like clusters…
1. They exist as physical phenomenon that can be observed
2. The can grow naturally (without policy interventions!)
3. But the growth of innovations districts can be kick-started and stimulated by policies and initiatives
And many cities and regions are now turning former industrial districts and dull neighborhoods into
dynamic business districts by launching ‘innovation district initiatives’, typically building on:
1. Promotion and facilitation of collaboration and open innovation
2. Providing public space + programming: establishing an abundance of collaborative open spaces and
organizations
3. Active planning strategy and policies to support diversity – economically, socially and cityscape wise
4. Urban living labs – use neighborhood and its assets actively in innovation
5. Sustainable leadership: Development is designed to be sustainable and result in inclusive growth and
equitable outcomes

26. Boston’s Innovation District
• The Innovation District is the fastest
growing part of Boston
• Since the District’s launch, 5,000 new jobs
have been created and over 200 new
companies have formed.
• 40% of the companies located in the
Innovation District share space in co-
working spaces and incubators.
• Over 1,100 housing units have been
constructed, including 300 innovation
micro-units (micro apartments with
shared spaces)

27. Barcelona @22
• Today, 70% of the former industrial waste-
land in El Poblenou has been refurbished
• Since 2000, 4,500 companies employing
56,000 workers have started in or relocated
to 22@.
• Approximately 72% of the total employees
in 22@ are university-educated.
• 5 universities have established a presence
• Several incubators have been created such
as Biomedical Park, the MediaTic
building and Barcelona Activa

28. South Harbour Copenhagen
City of Copenhagen is looking into turning
it’s South Harbour District into an innovation
district:
• Gather companies, start-ups, university,
cultural and civil society org’s in a joint
innovation platform
• Use social, economic, and environmental
challenges, city spaces, and existing
regeneration programmes as a living lab for
new sustainable solutions
• Build attractive flexible office and incubator
spaces for start-ups and small companies
• Facilitate collaboration between the large real
estate players to activate dead spaces and
buildings
• Etc…

29. So, what’s the implications of the rise of
innovation districts and the new geography
of innovation at the regional policy level?

30. Learning no 1#
Places matter – a lot
Regional growth, innovation, and
competitiveness happens in specific
places (not in regional meta spaces)!
1. We need to nurture our specific
places and localities.
2. Regional growth policies need to
feed into and synergize with our
specific localities.
3. We need a better balance and
connection between the macro
regional perspective and a micro
focus on localities and liveability
as innovation facilitators.

31. Learning no 2#
From triple helix to ‘holistix’
Triple helix collaboration is clearly
still needed – but is far from enough.
1. In regional innovation and growth
policies we need to be better to
include housing, culture, leisure,
social welfare and civil society.
There is much more business and
innovation in these domains than we
use to think…

32. Learning no 3#
Foster diversity and cross fertilization
Specialisation is still needed but today innovation and
growth often happens in the cross field of different
sectors, clusters, and knowledge domains. And
diversity is a must to stay agile and innovative in an
ever changing world….
1. Grow your clusters – but demand cross cluster,
cross sectoral and cross etc. collaboration.
2. Stimulate the small sprouting niches and
specialisations that occur in-between the
dominating ones.
3. Be careful not to throw all your eggs in the basket
of ‘the ICT sector’, ‘the transport sector’, ‘the food
cluster’ and so forth…
4. Be aware that innovation can neither be planned
nor executed at the macro regional level –it’s and
non-linear, organic process. But it can be
stimulated and facilitated!

33. Learning no 4#
Inclusive growth and local spill-overs
Durable regional competitiveness policies
are build on sustainable, social inclusive
approaches with strong local spill-over
effects.
1. Ensure social inclusive approaches and
strong local spill-over effects in
regional growth policies and
programmes. Regions long term
innovation capability, access to talent,
and competitiveness relies on strong
and sustainable localities.
2. Do not always look to invent solutions
for remote customers as the first thing:
Look into you solving your region’s and
neighborhood's own social, economic
and environmental challenges.

34. Jakob Stoumann
Managing Director
Oxford Research
Copenhagen – Denmark
M: 0045 24475927
E: jas@oxfordresearch.dk
www.oxfordresearch.dk