Final Deck - Process also detailed below

Research

Before diving into our research process, we wanted to take a step back and look into the history of innovation and entrepreneurship in Ithaca.

After visiting the History Center in Tompkins County, we found that overtime, there has been a consistent community of engagement and building of local relationships within the city that acted as themes throughout the entirety of our process.

Looking to present entrepreneurship, we looked into startup success stories like Ithaca Hummus and Emmy’s Cookies, while also analyzing the key players in Ithaca’s innovation network.

Analysis

So after many interviews, surveys, and site visits, we formed four key persona to further understand the wants, needs, and frustrations of founders, students, local business owners, and employees.

With our case study research and other secondary sources, we also analyzed what Ithaca can offer and the benefits of innovation in smaller cities.

As continued part of our analysis, we created a scenario matrix that acts as clear direction to what we wanted Ithaca to be on the basis of connectivity and culture.

Before entering the ideation and solutions phase, we set four criteria for what makes a good innovation district (based on case studies and research as detailed above) and analyzed what gaps existed within Ithaca. These four included:

1. Diverse economy: dense businesses, amenities, and affordable housing

2. Strong connectivity: relations with local research universities, pathways and open spaces, walkable/bike-able streets, unified brand identity, and reliable transportation

3. Diverse culture: strong business mix, high quality city programming, local arts and events, and educational and cultural facilities

4. Webbed network: networking events, online platform, and awareness/engagement for community-wide events

KEY RESEARCH INSIGHT

We realized that Ithaca is not, and will never be, the next Silicon Valley or Kendall Square, but it’s unique access to research, family like community, extensive culture, eco-friendly practices, beautiful nature/scenery, and extensive zones of opportunity led us to conclude that Ithaca would benefit from the creation of an Innovation District.

“With its strong businesses, community, and leisure offering, Ithaca can support and Innovation District. With an I.D., Ithaca will see improvement in its economy, connectivity, culture, and network- ultimately becoming the new popular hub for students, businesses, and the wider Ithaca community.

An I.D. also allows Ithaca to become a refuge for people straying away from larger cities amidst the pandemic era. This will bring a fragmented community together as Ithaca responds innovatively to the worldwide crisis.”

(PAGE 15 Final Deck)

Proposal + Experience

Our final proposal consists of a three phased approach, each one following the potential success of the other to analyze the benefits of increasing levels of intervention.

PHASE 1

Connect Ithaca's innovation community through digital platforms as a low-cost solution to prevent brain drain, improve marketing, + increase community engagement.

PHASE 2

Physically connect the established online community through transportation & branding of existing buildings.

PHASE 3:

Establish a connected district, both digitally and physically through new spaces, socialization opportunities, + entertainment.

The three phases each address what Ithaca needs, as labeled in the final slide below.

People Icon Credit to Lluisa Iborra