Beyond innovation districts: The case of Medellinnovation district

Innovation districts are emerging as local economic development strategies in diverse cities around the world. They have however, been criticized for being non-participative top-down initiatives that encourage gentrification and economic polarization. Ruta N, a public organization, is leading the transformation of the innovation district of Medellin (Colombia), dubbed as Medellinnovation District. The paper investigates the programs that are being implemented in the Medellinnovation District in order to mitigate the negative externalities that such strategy can generate. The research methodology is based on a case study approach, using Medellinnovation District as a significant and high-impact case. The paper finds that the programs that Ruta N is implementing can be regrouped into two categories: attraction and absorption. The programs under attraction aim to attract knowledge companies and workers to the innovation district. The programs under absorption aim to activate the absorptive capacity of the residents living in the innovation district in order to make them full participants of the development of the innovation district.