Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, Assistant Professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design at the OU Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, has recently published her research in the prestigious journal Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning.
Her article, “Unveiling the dynamics of innovation districts: An empirical study of key features and governance structure in fourteen U.S. cities,” explores the growing phenomenon of innovation districts (IDs)—place-based strategies designed to foster entrepreneurship, collaboration, and economic development in urban areas. Despite their prominence in planning and policy discussions, comprehensive empirical analyses of their structure and governance remain limited. This study addresses that gap through a systematic examination of 14 innovation districts across the United States.
The research adapts and extends an established framework to evaluate the economic, physical, and networking assets that underpin IDs, while introducing governance structure as a critical pillar influencing their development. Findings reveal that, although most districts emphasize industry diversity and proximity to anchor institutions, governance arrangements often determine how assets are integrated and how districts evolve over time. Importantly, many of these districts are situated near central business districts, leveraging urban centrality to enhance access, connectivity, and collaboration.
This work makes significant contributions to both theory and practice. For theory, it refines the conceptual understanding of innovation districts by systematically categorizing sub-assets across economic, physical, and networking domains, while highlighting governance as a central driver of innovation outcomes. For practice, this study also introduces a diagnostic tool and visual framework that urban planners and policymakers can use to assess existing conditions, identify opportunities, and design strategies suited to local contexts.
The paper concludes with planning implications, emphasizing the importance of governance, spatial design, and asset alignment in cultivating dynamic, sustainable, and collaborative innovation ecosystems.
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
