According to the Brookings Institution, Innovation Districts “are geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators, and accelerators. They’re physically compact, transit-accessible, and technically wired, offering mixed-use housing, office, and retail.”
They bring together diverse populations looking for better places to live, work and play, which drives an eclectic mix of housing, jobs and amenities.
The recent Brookings’ study found that Downtown Mesa is well-positioned with many of the key attributes in place, or in various stages of development, that are necessary to become a robust Innovation District.
– Bill Jabjiniak, City of Mesa