A new generation of ‘urban centers’. ‘Intermediate places’ in Boston and Bologna

Across the advanced Western economies, the ‘Innovation Centers’ phenomenon is growing in importance for economic, institutional and social innovation within contemporary urban ecosystems. The article investigates the emerging models of ‘Innovation Centers’ arguing that their dynamic identity can be interpreted as an evolution of ‘Urban Centers’, traditional structures for the exercise of participatory democracy principles in urban strategies. In the general framework of urban social innovation, ‘Innovation Centers’ can become agents for urban regeneration processes and ‘windows of opportunity’. As ‘intermediate places’, they can trigger regeneration processes and address the growing contemporary urban challenges. The exploration of two paradigmatic case studies - the City of Boston (MA, USA) and the City of Bologna (Italy) - shows how emerging multifaceted ‘intermediate places’ can represent effective interfaces between public local government, private investors, non-profits and citizens. Despite the diversities of the urban conditions, both Boston and Bologna are fostering the creation of a backbone structure in the urban fabric, where spatial ‘hotspots’ spur different styles in social innovation within the redevelopment strategies of the cities. ‘Innovation Centers’ here represent ‘safe arenas’, where urban actors are allowed to pursue imagination, develop common visions and declare their commitment for creative solutions to be implemented in their neighborhoods.