Cultivating Oklahoma City's Innovation District

A new Brookings Institution reports recommends strategies for Oklahoma City to continue to grow the influence of its innovation district.

1 minute read

April 27, 2017, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Oklahoma City

Matthew Rutledge / Flickr

A team of writers at the Brookings Institution writes an article about the Oklahoma City innovation district, which local officials hope will continue to leverage the region's advantages in health, energy, and other sectors.

"With the right investments, the Oklahoma City innovation district has the potential to become a major center of gravity for innovation and economic development in Oklahoma City," according to the post's authors. To achieve that potential, and overcome a number of challenges listed in the post, the authors recommend four strategies: 1) Establish an Oklahoma Center for Energy and Health Collaboration, 2) Implement a technology-based economic development and entrepreneurship effort within the innovation district, 3) Create a denser, more active, and better-connected mixed-use urban environment in and around the innovation district, and 4) Form a standing committee on diversity and inclusion.

The post previews a larger report on the same subject, titled "Positioned for growth: Advancing the Oklahoma City Innovation District."

Tuesday, April 18, 2017 in Brookings

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

6 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine