How to boost innovation in cities

A variety of collaboration spaces are spreading across urban innovation ecosystems. This makes sense intuitively, because collaboration spaces create and — in some cases — manage and sustain the communities that make the ecosystem exist and grow.

I believe that collaboration spaces are, in fact, one of the key elements to create and grow urban innovation ecosystems in cities. Our current research in mapping urban innovation is starting to provide results that seem to validate this hypothesis. We are seeing that collaboration spaces that create and manage communities are critical nodes of city urban innovation ecosystems.

We will share more results about this analysis in future blogs but given the relevance of these spaces, I summarized what I believe are the most relevant categories of collaboration spaces. This list, which I prepared for a paper I am working on, is not prescriptive and it is not closed by any means. To the contrary, it just presents a starting point and I welcome comments to expand and refine these categories.

Co-working spaces

Co-working spaces are open spaces that usually provide broadband connectivity and a few other amenities (for example, a cafeteria and a workspace). Typically, co-working spaces tend to be an open floor with shared desks for members, though some offer closed-door offices. The three main characteristics of co-working spaces are that they offer interaction with other people, flexible working hours and an environment for serendipitous discoveries. Co-working spaces have multiple models: some are owned by companies and no external members are allowed (usually aligned with a corporation’s open innovation strategy); some are independently operated and open to the public (some of which create communities of interest); and others are publicly owned (for example, by city governments). Many co-working spaces have evolved into tech-innovation community management centers that also provide links with, or include in the same space, networks of mentors, skills training courses, accelerators and incubators.

Examples: WeWork, New York (https://www.wework.com); Impact Hub, London and other locations (http://www.impacthub.net);  Alt City, Beirut (http://www.altcity.me)

Accelerators

Accelerator programs, or accelerators, can be virtual, but most of them are attached to a physical space, where a cohort of start-ups work together to develop their projects for a limited period of time. An accelerator can be part of a broader co-working space or incubator, or a space on its own. Accelerators support entrepreneurs and start-ups in early stages of development, and they are often comprised of the following features: (i) a highly competitive and open application process for entrepreneurs; (ii) provision of small amounts of seed investment; (iii) focus on small teams rather than individual founders; (iv) intensive support for a limited period of time (usually 3–6 months), with active mentorship and networking; and (v) collaborative work among start-ups through a cohort or classes of start-ups.

Examples: Tech Starts, Boulder, New York, and other locations (http://www.techstars.com); Seedcamp, London and other locations (http://seedcamp.com)

Maker spaces

Maker spaces are community centers or coworking spaces, typically independently owned, that provide access to a series of tools and light equipment for fabrication—most significantly, 3D printers and open-source hardware board toolkits and technology (for example, Arduino boards). Maker spaces can be more sophisticated, offering more advanced tools and materials for textiles or for metal- and woodworking. Some of these spaces also provide mentors and a community of interest around the “makers movement” or DIY (do-it-yourself) fabrication and prototyping.

Examples: Santiago Maker Space, Santiago de Chile (http://www.stgomakerspace.com); Maker Space, Madrid (http://makespacemadrid.org); GearBox, Nairobi (http://gearbox.co.ke)

Fabrication labs (Fablabs)

Fablabs are similar to maker spaces, though they have standard requirements, including a minimum set of tools for fabrication and an accreditation program for Fablab managers. Fablabs are small-scale workshops that were originally designed as prototyping platforms for local entrepreneurship but have expanded to universities and higher education facilities to provide complimentary hands-on training. Fablabs are part of the fablab program from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Fablabs have to subscribe to the fablab charter and have to offer public access to their facilities. The fablab program has a fablab academy to train and accredit its managers and a network of collaboration (global fablab network).

Examples: Fab Lab Barcelona (http://www.fablabbcn.org); Fab Lab Lisboa (http://fablablisboa.pt); Fab Lab South Africa (http://www.fablab.co.za)

Techshop®

Techshop® is an example of a sustainable business model of the concept of fablab and maker space, where access to the fabrication equipment and mentorship is offered for a fee. Techshop® has developed partnerships with universities, such as Arizona State University, or companies, such as Ford Motor Company, to develop ad hoc facilities for internal research and development.

Example: Techshop®, multiple locations (http://www.techshop.ws)

Living labs