Spatial qualities of innovation districts : how Third Places are changing the innovation ecosystem of Kendall Square

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kim, Minjee
Other Authors: Eran Ben-Joseph.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81653
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author Kim, Minjee
author2 Eran Ben-Joseph.
author_facet Eran Ben-Joseph.
Kim, Minjee
author_sort Kim, Minjee
collection MIT
description Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.
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spelling mit-1721.1/816532019-04-10T12:30:39Z Spatial qualities of innovation districts : how Third Places are changing the innovation ecosystem of Kendall Square Kim, Minjee Eran Ben-Joseph. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Urban Studies and Planning. Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013. Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-102). This thesis analyzes the spatial dimensions of an urban high-tech cluster in the changing socio-economic landscape of American cities. Using Kendall Square as the primary case study, I analyzed the spatial qualities and characteristics that define an urban high-tech cluster and provide recommendations for how future "innovation districts" should be developed. My in depth study of the built form of Kendall Square reveals that workplaces for the high-tech industry have extended beyond the conventional office setting to include both retail and public spaces: such as cafes, restaurants; and streets, sidewalks, plazas, and open spaces. I label these emerging workplaces as "Third Places" and further emphasize that Third Places are critical catalyst to the success of innovation districts. Through my findings, I argue that urban high-tech clusters will develop from old urban areas, rather than from newly-born districts, and that such clusters will be concentrated within a walking distance of one or two transit stops, not extending beyond what could be described as a "district." Furthermore, my findings indicate that successful innovation districts are likely to develop spontaneously by incremental private real estate developments, rather than from the urban renewal era's approach of masterplanning. Comparison of the existing development projects in Kendall Square also revealed that an ideal form of innovation district is a mixed-use neighborhood that could accommodate living, working, and playing activities of everyday life. As a result of my investigation, I provide some policy and design recommendations on how to establish innovation districts. For physical spaces, I offer basic principles of designing urban spaces in a way that could stimulate social interaction, chance encounters and interfirm collaboration, which will contribute to the innovation ecosystem of a place. by Minjee Kim. M.C.P. 2013-10-24T17:39:50Z 2013-10-24T17:39:50Z 2013 2013 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81653 859617198 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 102 p. application/pdf n-us-ma Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Urban Studies and Planning.
Kim, Minjee
Spatial qualities of innovation districts : how Third Places are changing the innovation ecosystem of Kendall Square
title Spatial qualities of innovation districts : how Third Places are changing the innovation ecosystem of Kendall Square
title_full Spatial qualities of innovation districts : how Third Places are changing the innovation ecosystem of Kendall Square
title_fullStr Spatial qualities of innovation districts : how Third Places are changing the innovation ecosystem of Kendall Square
title_full_unstemmed Spatial qualities of innovation districts : how Third Places are changing the innovation ecosystem of Kendall Square
title_short Spatial qualities of innovation districts : how Third Places are changing the innovation ecosystem of Kendall Square
title_sort spatial qualities of innovation districts how third places are changing the innovation ecosystem of kendall square
topic Urban Studies and Planning.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81653
work_keys_str_mv AT kimminjee spatialqualitiesofinnovationdistrictshowthirdplacesarechangingtheinnovationecosystemofkendallsquare