Jacobs and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have jointly released a new report titled “Innovation Ecosystems: A Toolkit of Principles and Best Practice.” The toolkit offers practical guidance for city leaders, developers, and policymakers to design, govern, and grow innovation districts—urban areas where research, entrepreneurship, and collaboration thrive.
As cities around the world face digital transformation and sustainability challenges, innovation districts are becoming vital engines of urban prosperity. The report highlights how strong governance, smart design, and digital infrastructure can help cities build resilient, inclusive, and future-ready ecosystems.
“Our mission at Jacobs is to reinvent the places of today for a better tomorrow,” said Andrew Collinge, Smart Cities Director at Jacobs and co-author of the report. “This toolkit gives cities the guidance they need to innovate with purpose and impact.”
At its core, the toolkit introduces eight guiding principles for responsible innovation — collaborative, sustainable, resilient, human-centric, transparent, accessible, efficient, and scalable. These principles serve as a framework for cities seeking to align technology and community goals.
The report also showcases global examples:
- Detroit’s Michigan Central and Hyderabad’s T-Hub for effective public-private collaboration.
- Singapore’s Punggol Digital District and Milan’s MIND for human-centric, sustainable placemaking.
- Knowledge Quarter Liverpool and NTT East Tokyo for efficient and scalable digital infrastructure.
To support implementation, Jacobs and WEF outline eight actions and ten key steps for developing innovation districts—from setting a shared vision to building digital capacity and community engagement.
Jacobs emphasizes that innovation districts are more than economic hubs; they are platforms for inclusive growth, sustainability, and community wellbeing.
“Innovation districts represent the future of urban development,” said Katie Adnams, Associate Director of Smart Places and Digital Infrastructure at Jacobs. “Purpose, design, and digital capability must come together to deliver lasting value.”
With this toolkit, Jacobs and WEF aim to empower cities to turn global insights into local action—ensuring that innovation not only drives progress but also builds a better, more sustainable future for all.
