One sentence in a new report captures in 13 words the heart of the threat that the Research triangle Park of history faces and its leaders are trying to address as quickly as plans can be finalized, approved and financed:

“Today, innovation is taking place where people come together, not in isolated spaces.”

On Monday, a new report titled “The New Geography of Innovation” gave the Research Triangle Park Foundation high marks for its still-unfolding plan to remake the five-decade-old science and research park in order ensure North Carolina’s technology and life science jewel retains its luster. RTP’s leader recognized the need for radical change with its 50-year vision unveiled in November 2012. The report said the Park had to be reinvented.

And people not just in the Park or Triangle are watching.

While several cities are recognized for revitalizing urban zones as hubs of entrepreneurship and innovation, RTP is cited in the Brookings Institute report as the model for turning traditional office parks into an “urbanized science park.”

WRAL TechWire coverage of RTP’s new plan and development:

  • RTP Park Center’s buildout will be in the billions.
  • RTP eyes 100,000 jobs with Park Center deal
  • RTP hires private sector developer to help remake Park
  • RTP must be reinvented, new plans says

Report after report over the years has praised RTP as a model to be emulated, but time threatened to pass it by as entrepreneurs, startups and companies began migrating to downtown Durham and Raleigh. High-tech Park tenants have long lobbied for more urban amenities from housing to entertainment to food to meet the changing demands of young, often more environmentally and socially conscious works.

Cisco gave the Park a big boost Friday with the announcement of 550 new jobs over the next four years. NetApp is bringing more jobs to man a huge new facility. Agbio expansion is booming. But a revitalized, more urban Park offers more than incremental progress with thousands and thousands of jobs, leaders say.

Brookings is buying into the strategy. 

Responding to warning signs that the Park’s very future was at stake, its RTP Foundation leaders developed a new strategic plan and are now implementing it. A key element is the 100-acre Park Center where antiquated buildings will be bulldozed and the parcel located adjacent to I-40 will be turned into an urban core of shopping and much more.

The authors of the Brookings report like what they see unfolding under the leadership of CEO Bob Geolas and the current board of directors. 

New Models for Success

These new districts are taking shape in three models:

  • “Anchor plus”
  • “Re-imagined urban areas”
  • And “urbanized science park.”

Here’s what the report says about RTP:

“The third model, ‘urbanized science park,’ commonly found in suburban and exurban areas, is where traditionally isolated, sprawling areas of innovation are urbanizing through increased density and an infusion of new activities (including retail and restaurants) that are mixed as opposed to separated. North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, perhaps the 20th century’s most iconic research and development campus, is the strongest validation of this model. In November, 2012, RTP unveiled a new 50-year master plan that calls for a greater concentration of buildings and amenities, including the creation of a vibrant central district, the addition of up to 1,400 multi-family housing units, retail and the possible construction of a light rail transit line to connect the park with the larger Raleigh-Durham region.”

Before describing what the other types of areas are, it’s important to point out what Brookings defines as “innovation districts.”

One can certainly think as downtown Durham and downtown Raleigh as blossoming models of what Brookings cites:

“Innovation districts constitute the ultimate mash up of entrepreneurs and educational institutions, start-ups and schools, mixed-use development and medical innovations, bike-sharing and bankable investments—all connected by transit, powered by clean energy, wired for digital technology, and fueled by caffeine.”

Each of the emerging districts contain that overused, now almost cliche term: “innovation ecosystem.”

But nothing else better describes the “synergistic relationship between people, firms and place (the physical geography of the district) that facilitates idea generation and accelerates commercialization.”

Brookings’ other two models include praise for St. Louis, the Boston area and Seattle:

  • Anchor Plus

“The ‘anchor plus’ model, primarily found in the downtowns and mid-towns of central cities, is where large scale mixed-use development is centered around major anchor institutions and a rich base of related firms, entrepreneurs and spin-off companies involved in the commercialization of innovation. “Anchor plus” is best exemplified by Kendall Square in Cambridge (and the explosion of growth around MIT and other nearby institutions like Mass. General Hospital) and the Cortex district in St. Louis (flanked by Washington University, Saint Louis University, and Barnes Jewish Hospital).”

  • Re-imagined Urban Areas

“The ‘re-imagined urban areas’ model, often found near or along historic waterfronts, is where industrial or warehouse districts are undergoing a physical and economic transformation. This change is powered, in part, by transit access, a historic building stock, and their proximity to downtowns in high rent cities, which is then supplemented with advanced research institutions and anchor companies. This model is best exemplified by the remarkable regeneration underway in Boston’s South Boston waterfront and Seattle’s South Lake Union area.”

The full report makes for interesting reading. You can find it online.