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

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

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.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive