Articles by Brooks Rainwater

About Brooks Rainwater

Brooks Rainwater is the Director of the City Solutions and Applied Research Center at the National League of Cities. The Center strengthens the capacity of municipal leaders to create strong local economies, safe and vibrant neighborhoods, world-class infrastructure, and a sustainable environment. As a strong advocate for vibrant and successful cities, Brooks frequently speaks and writes on the subject, and has published numerous research reports and articles on the creation of innovative, sustainable, and livable communities. Follow Brooks on Twitter @BrooksRainwater.

Cities Lead on Entrepreneurialism and Economic Opportunity

Cities Lead on Entrepreneurialism and Economic Opportunity

by | May 12, 2014 | Smart Cities | 0 Comments

This blog post is a response to the Meeting of the Minds & Living Cities group blogging event which asks, “How could cities better connect all their residents to economic opportunity?” America is a country of entrepreneurs, inventors, and idea...
Building the New Relationship Infrastructure – Innovation Districts Take Off

Building the New Relationship Infrastructure – Innovation Districts Take Off

by | Jan 20, 2014 | Smart Cities | 0 Comments

Cities incubate creativity and serve as labs for innovative ideas and policies. One such idea arising more and more is the innovation district. These districts are creative, energy-laden ecosystems with a focus on building partnerships across sectors. Innovation...
Cities as a Lab: Designing the Innovation Economy

Cities as a Lab: Designing the Innovation Economy

by | Sep 20, 2013 | Smart Cities | 1 Comment

Cities can thrive in the 21st century by building transformational places that incubate creativity and adapt to future challenges and opportunities. As political and economic power increasingly finds its greatest expression through municipal governments, cities have...
Urban Innovation and Change

Urban Innovation and Change

by | Oct 5, 2012 | Smart Cities | 6 Comments

The world is urban. Currently over half of the world’s inhabitants live in cities and this is projected to grow to 70% of all people by 2050. Not only are people increasingly gravitating towards cities for economic opportunity, but they are moving to cities because of...