Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Research Parks A Beacon of Hope for Struggling City
The New York Times is running an interesting piece chronicling the poor fortune of Columbia, South Carolina, a metropolitan area that "came closer than any other to being a microcosm of the nation over the last decade".
The article goes on to recite the litany of poor economic indicators, but like all good human interest stories, offers a glimmer of hope towards the middle of the piece:
The mayor has also been focused on expanding the so-called Innovista project, a campus developed by the university centered on research in areas like hydrogen-powered fuel cells and biotechnology. The aim is to cluster research labs, private companies and condominiums.
Innovista (project website) is many ways embodies the key trends that Science In Place has been tracking around the future of places for R&D - urban, mixed use, orbiting around a university, and focused on biology and life sciences. Self-described as:
A fast-paced research environment. A slow-flowing river. A vibrant, urban lifestyle with a moderate cost of living. A friendly culture within a diverse, increasingly global community.
While President-Elect Obama's "new deal" infrastructure stimulus is laudable, I hope that we'll see more of the money directed at 21st century knowledge infrastructure - research hubs like Innovista - and less emphasis on the 20th century industrial infrastructure of bridges and highways.