The geography of innovation is changing in the United States. For decades, the innovation economy was dominated by places like Silicon Valley—suburban corridors of spatially isolated corporate campuses, accessible only by car, with little emphasis on quality of life or on integrating work, housing and recreation. Recently, though, cutting-edge companies, research laboratories and universities have begun to cluster in urban areas alongside start-ups, business incubators, and accelerators. These areas, called “innovation districts,” are often transit accessible and compact, and support mixed-use housing, offices and retail. Such districts facilitate and intensify the knowledge-exchange and dialogue of innovation.
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