The innovation economy in Somerville: Assembly Square from a neglected to a vibrant area

Abstract

The city of Somerville has answered in the last ten years to the rise of Innovation Districts, especially in Boston and in Cambridge and its outcomes, complaining that the term “innovation district” has almost become a slogan, instead that focusing on creative forms of strategic policies. That is why it has decided not to create a specific district related to innovation but to build its own economy around innovation, including the use of new economic tools and development processes to build a solid ecosystem within the whole city. The article aims to present a focus on the territorial and economic transformation that has affected the area of Assembly Square in Somerville, chosen by the administration for the abandonment that had struck it and destined to urban and social segregation. Empty space and neglect made it to be considered the proper field to test new economic tools for a development based on innovation. Still today, the definition of a community vision is giving the possibility to innovative businesses and start-up to locate in a friendly and inclusive live/work environment. The result is that Assembly Square is becoming compact and benefits from the creation of a dynamic physical realm which strengthens the proximity and the impact of knowledge. The research is the result of on-the-spot analysis and interviews with the protagonists in the phases of the process, selected among promoters, entrepreneurs, citizens and professors.