Urban Innovation, Technology & Futures

We help decision-makers in the public and private sector to shape and optimise the impact of economic and technological change on their development imperatives and business models.

There are multiple areas where we provide intelligence:

The impact of the innovation economy on urban form, the future of jobs, and new kinds of business model for real estate, development and infrastructure.
Strategies to accommodate innovation within a city or region with attention to enterprise climate, eco-systems, institutional reforms, district development, and innovation brand.
New kinds of urban innovations (financial, technological, placemaking, management) being piloted and scaled successfully.
Assessment and insight on future disruptors that may impact city success and asset performance.
Comparative perspective on long term planning, resilience and transformation of cities.

We Help Cities and Regions Understand What is Needed in the Innovation Economy

We provide advice and research to help a city or region assess its opportunities to capture more of the innovation economy. We identify the ingredients of successful hubs of innovation, and we provide an audit of the gaps and imperatives in the existing innovation eco-system.

We Provide Leaders of Innovation Locations with Global Insights and Networks

We provide support to public, private and civic leaders that are developing their innovation district, quarter, corridor or zone. We draw on our research and analysis of over 200 innovation locations globally to give context to location leaders about their project's evolution, the appropriate set of public policy and real estate interventions, and their relevant peers around the world. We also organise, chair and host events that bring different innovation locations together for mutual learning and advantage.

Click here to view our primer for more information on Innovation District benchmarking.

We Scan and Monitor the Global Indicators for Future Trends and Disruptors hat will Alter the Equation for Cities

We publish and present regularly on the changing trends in terms of investment, technology, global and national policy, etc.

We Help Organisations to Review Global Experience, Policies and Outlooks

Our research and experience in more than 150 cities spans very a wide range of political, economic and leadership models, and enables us to help organisations conduct global reviews and scanning projects about cutting edge approaches and future outlooks for cities.

Examples of Our Work on Urban Innovations, Technologies and Futures

We have published keynote reports in this area in collaboration with leading organisations such as the Future Cities Catapult, Urban Land Institute, the UK Future Foresight Project, and Cities Alliance.