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    Innovation Districts: Assessing Their Potential as a Strategy for Urban Economic Development


    Drucker, Joshua and Kayanan, Carla Maria (2024) Innovation Districts: Assessing Their Potential as a Strategy for Urban Economic Development. Urban Affairs Review, 60 (3). pp. 802-834. ISSN 1078-0874

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    Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874231173618

    Abstract

    Innovation districts have gained attention as a fast-spreading urban economic development strategy, raising numerous questions. What are their distinguishing attributes? Are they a substantive policy innovation? Are they likely to succeed in fostering innovation and economic dynamism? We propose a definition of innovation districts based on their characteristic features. Given the ambiguity of the term in practice, this is crucial for understanding and analyzing the strategy. We then evaluate innovation districts by applying theories and current understandings of the spatial and economic development aspects of innovation, entrepreneurship, and human capital, illustrating with examples from Boston, Detroit, Saint Louis, and San Diego. We conclude that the combination of components that comprises innovation districts is both new and valuable. Innovation districts present a potential pathway for advancing regional economic development goals via the pathways of innovation and entrepreneurship. We stress the importance of rigorous empirical evaluation and research regarding a variety of practical and strategic concerns.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: innovation district; innovation; entrepreneurship; economic development; anchor;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, MUSSI
    Item ID: 19535
    Identification Number: 10.1177/10780874231173618
    Depositing User: Carla Kayanan
    Date Deposited: 27 Feb 2025 15:52
    Journal or Publication Title: Urban Affairs Review
    Publisher: SAGE Publications
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19535
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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