NP has worked in a number of older industrial cities across the country.  Many of these are struggling to rebuild their downtown core due to fundamental a chicken or egg dilemma: “I need amenities like retail and restaurants to get people downtown but without people already downtown how do I get restaurants and retail”? 

NP advises our clients to take small, impactful interim steps to prove a market exists.  For instance, recently NP worked on a restaurant incubator program for Brockton, MA.  During the course of the study it became clear that the concept required too much capital for a market that wasn’t quite ready to fully believe in the downtown as a destination.  So, we suggested an interim strategy around a low cost, pop up idea on an empty site. 

​And what do you know – Prova! Brockton happens.  The best part – Prova literally translates to “proof”.  We love the crowd funding aspect to show community support, the low cost approach to design to reduce the risk of failure and activating an empty lot in a strategic location.  We can’t wait til it opens. 


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“You miss 100% of the shots you never take” – Wayne Gretzky

Innovation Districts are the current rage in urban regeneration and economic development. How a particular community develops its own innovation sector varies based on that community’s existing industry strengths, talent pipeline and available economic infrastructure.  Many hope to become the next Silicon Valley but few realize the building blocks that need to be put in place and the length of time it takes to really get to scale to impact the trajectory of a local economy.  Frankly, some of these efforts are economic development “me-tooism” with little hope of creating momentum.  However, others are based on real opportunities that keep taking steps down an evolutionary path.  Two of NP’s recent clients have taken great strides towards growing their innovation capacity – Newport, RI and New Haven, CT.  

Creating a Hub
Newport RI, the city by the sea, has long been known for its elegant mansions, sailing history and its US Navy presence going back to colonial times. Its beautiful coastal setting, walkability, and ample cultural, outdoor, and social opportunities make it a lifestyle destination community.  Newport and Middletown (its closest “suburb”) have always had elements of the creative economy because of their lifestyle advantages.  And the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) has always supported a series of software and engineering support companies to advance its mission. 

​Recently, there has been substantial effort to build on Newport’s nascent creative and tech community.  One of the missing pieces was a physical hub that could serve multiple functions for the creative and tech communities.  This April, Newport RI leaders gathered to break ground on the redevelopment of the former Sheffield School, which is being re-purposed as a business incubator and co-workspace in Newport, RI.  The 34,000 square foot building will be focused on supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses working in the defense, maritime and technology industries – industries that are active in Newport but need additional support to gain scale. 

NP worked with the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, who will be serving as program manager, to develop the service model for the Hub as well as reorient the Chamber’s programs to better serve the growing entrepreneurial sector of the Newport economy.  Additionally, Kevin Hively of NP served on the board of the Economic Development Foundation of RI – the nonprofit development entity hired by the city to re-purpose the Sheffield School into the InnovateNewport Hub. 

Making a City an “Innovation Place” Requires Many Complementary Efforts
In some cases, like in Newport, a physical hub is required to serve as an organizing force and provide visual evidence of activity.   In other communities, it's more about weaving together a patchwork of activities under a single framework. New Haven, CT has an active, growing creative and innovation economy but more needed to be done to encourage growth, connection, livability, and opportunities for ALL of its citizens. 

In 2016, CTNext initiated a challenge grant program called “Innovation Places”.  In response, New Haven's  Elm City Innovation Collaborative (ECIC) put together a strategic plan that called for actions in four key areas:  
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• A Connected City:  Creating stronger relationships within the city's innovation ecosystem;
• A Growing City:  Creating flexible spaces for entrepreneurs;
• The Help You Need:  Developing talent in key sectors; and 
• The Livable City:  Making the city more accessible and elevating its brand.

Since being selected as an Innovation Place by CTNext in 2017, the Collaborative has been taking great strides to implement its Strategic Plan. Recent progress includes:

• MakeHaven moved its makerspace and its expanded facilities;
• The State House, a new multi-purpose space, launched its web presence, signed a lease and began construction.
• The Collaboratory, an entrepreneurship development program, completed its first Entrepreneurship Stories event series and workshop series.
• Ives Squared, a new innovation space at the public library, launched construction and completed Community Needs Assessment Workshops.
• Concepts for Adaptive Learning trained a cohort of 70 parents who are now prepared to aid their children in use of technology as part of their education, developing job skills in the process.

One of the great aspects of the New Haven approach to building an Innovation Place is how it includes aspects to help the broad community engage in the innovation activity.  It’s truly a community focused effort.  

​Things are happening in Springfield, MA.  For the past several years the City and its partners have been charting a course for the downtown's future, which has led to increased investment and interest in the city. 

Recent progress includes the opening of two restaurants, a new yoga studio and construction is slated to start soon on 60 new apartments.  Just last week the DevelopSpringfield announced its second round of Lease It Local, a program aimed at attracting entrepreneurs to the city through a package of incentives.  (Check out NP's 2017 post for more info on the program.)

NP led or supported planning and implementation support for the city's downtown including the Worthington Street Corridor Study, an Investment Prospectus, and Dining District Implementation Plan.  Much of this work was completed through MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative. ​

DevelopSpringfield recently announced that is accepting applications for its "Lease It Local," a program, which will offer businesses up to half a monthly lease (up to $500) to occupy storefronts that are now vacant or underused. Eligible properties are vacant or underused ground-floor storefronts in the Springfield Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) District.  

The Lease It Local program aims to:  

• Create opportunities for residents to lease space for their entrepreneurial ventures;
• Encourage property owner reinvestment; and
• Enhance the overall vibrancy of downtown.

DevelopSpringfield's Lease It Local program will provide:

• Rental subsidy up to 50% of monthly lease with a cap of $500 / month. Subsidy can last for as little as 3 months up to 12 months with a total cap of $6,000 per business.
• Business also eligible for grants covering up to 50% of professional services with a cap of $750 per business.

Eligible applicants include independent operators (no franchises or chains), artists, or social enterprises.  While all industries are welcome, the program emphasizes uses drive daily foot traffic and preference is given to Springfield residents and those who have completed formal business training or mentoring.  For more info on the program check out DevelopSpringfield's program page.

NP performed the project consulting on the Springfield TDI Partnership’s Active Implementation Plan that worked with the Springfield TDI Partnership for the district.  A key action within the strategy was spurring retail frontage development including a subsidy program for potential tenants while the market was still being “proved.”

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. is being celebrated for its work to put forward an equity driven growth model for the future of the city's downtown.  Recently, the International Downtown Association (IDA) recognized the Grand Rapids community for its efforts to build racial equity and opportunity in Downtown Grand Rapids with a Pinnacle Award - the industry's highest honor.
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Downtown Grand Rapids spearheaded Grand Rapids Forward, which is a 10-year plan and investment strategy "to transform the Grand River into a distinct asset and support the next generation of growth in Downtown Grand Rapids."  Since the Plan's adoption in 2015 many actions have been taken that support greater equity and inclusion in Grand Rapids including but not limited to:

• Changed zoning policy to better promote a range of housing options that serve a diverse range of people and families.
• Enabled the Downtown Development Authority to support minority- and women-owned business development.
• Achieved an 80% increase in nonwhite attendance at Movies in the Park through community partnership and more inclusive programming.
• Further diversified DGRI citizen Leadership Network to better reflect community’s diversity of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, expertise and geographic residence.
• Partnered with Government Alliance on Race and Equity to develop strategies for transforming City government operations to help achieve racial equity.
• Passed Pilot Food Truck Ordinance to expand opportunities for culinary entrepreneurs.
• Partnered with Rose Center for Public Leadership to develop strategies for achieving equity goals through new development projects. 

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​NP is proud to have been part of the team who prepared the Grand Rapids Forward Plan, serving as an economic consultant with a focus on workforce development, retail dynamics and entrepreneurial activity. 

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) just made it to the top of Fast Company's United States of Innovation list.  The list highlights 50 projects that are tacking the challenges facing our country today.  RISD recently launched the pilot executive education program, Design for Manufacturing.  The program "integrates concepts of strategic design thinking and innovation as they apply to the manufacturing environment. These concepts, combined with entrepreneurial application will help leaders in the manufacturing sector uncover new business, development opportunities and management strategies for growth." Classes include design thinking, product design, and 3-D printing and prototyping among others.  


RISD’s program is highlighted in a recent report, Industrial Design: A Competitive Edge for U.S. Manufacturing Success in the Global Economy, released by the National Endowment for the Arts in April.  This report makes the case for industrial design and provides best practice models for replication and adaptation in other parts of the country.
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NP is proud to have supported RISD through the program's launch and development and to have participated as an interviewee for the NEA report.

Crain's Chicago Business recent feature on, "The Incredible Shrinking HQ" points on trends in how corporations are re-imagining their headquarters when they decide to make a move.  While many of the examples focus on Chicago the data and observations have value to any city thinking about how to balance business recruitment with home grown business development.  NP's Kevin Hively speaks to that very question in the article - no silver bullets here but important considerations for any community to think about when it comes to economic development. ​

​The City of New Haven, CT and Southern CT State University (SCSU) recently launched an innovative bioscience career ladder program that will provide career pathways within science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.  Beyond new curriculum, it's supported by 98,000 s.f. of new cutting edge academic and lab space and will connect to the large concentration of bioscience companies in New Haven.

NP provided various types of support to the unprecedented collaboration between the City and SCSU. As part of the work, NP conducted a life sciences workforce study for the City of New Haven and the Economic Development Corporation of New Haven and also developed a series of key findings concerning "pipeline" development.  NP is proud to be part of such an important effort to link New Haven residents to potential jobs in the city's burgeoning life sciences sector.  

For more info on the program check out the recent op-ed in the New Haven Register.

Green Building and Design featured NP’s Kevin Hively in its Big Ideas in Urban Design feature this month.  So, what’s the big idea?  Economic design - mixing behavioral science with design principles to support economic outcomes.  

Here’s a bit from the article:

“To some degree, behavioral science has been used in transportation-systems design, particularly in ideas like traffic calming. But it has not yet penetrated into place-activation strategies, programming models, and development patterns. We have not yet learned to apply the concepts of consumer decision-making and experience into the field of urban design.”

Make sure to check out the full article including the other six big ideas from leading urban thinkers.