The Brookings Institution has created a digital publication to go along with its book, "The Metropolitan Revolution," by Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley that was published in June.
The book says Detroit, emerging districts in Barcelona, Boston, and Philadelphia and the urbanization of the Research Triangle in Raleigh-Durham all suggest a new form for our networked, collaborative era.
At their best, the authors write, they provide both the physical and the social infrastructure for collaboration and networking, including public spaces, flex space for collaboration, residences that also place a premium on shared-work and socializing spaces, social activities and networks, technical support, and mentoring programs.
Downtown and Midtown could be the country’s next innovation district—a relatively new term just beginning to gain currency among political, business, and civic leaders. It describes a concentration of innovative institutions and resources that together create a more-than-the-sum-of-their-parts effect. They have the raw materials to foster clusters and create new opportunities for residents of the city and the region: a density of innovative institutions and companies, including hospitals, universities, and research centers; clusters of tech and creative firms; and resources for entrepreneurs and new businesses, including affordable workspace and venture capital.
