Doing-The-Hand Jive: ASU's Chief Research & Information Officer "Innovating The Future"

Ever notice how almost every "talking-head" in front of a camera has now mastered gesticulating madly with both hands when they appear on screens?
Indian-American Researcher Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan leads the Knowledge Enterprise at Arizona State University, which advances research, innovation, strategic partnerships, entrepreneurship and international development at ASU... Now Knowledge is A Business 

"Innovating the Future" is an interview from Friday on ASU's PBS Channel, part of their New America Series. The host for this program is Anne Marie Slaughter. Panch's focus uses his hands to make some points about Artificial Intelligence and what he calls situational awareness. These include what he calls "vibro-tactile motors" to alert soldiers or those with disabilities in stories that he tells during the episode.  
Innovating The Future took on an economic aspect years ago in a geographic-area focus that defined parts of cities as INNOVATION DISTRICTS, some more successful than others. That became part of "the sales pitch" that could transform Downtown Mesa, adding to the not too successful branding campaign to make downtown an Arts-and-Culture District.
That hasn't happened in more than 15 years. . . 

Innovation became a buzzword for city officials here in Mesa back in January 2018. It did, however, attract a lot of interest when most of the seats got filled in one theater space at the Mesa Arts Center for a show put on by the Brookings Institution. [scroll down to watch the streaming video]
An Innovation District - according to Bruce Katz is a self-defined concept.
Like this one that arrived for public consumption after four years of studying and $40,000 for that study.
What have we seen "rising" here in Mesa?
Fill-in the blanks if you can __________________________________________________

 

What is an Innovation District Anyway???

"a collaboration by a city-college-corporation that creates a connective corridor designed specifically to foster a community network that supports innovation between a campus and collaborators."
Downtown would become be "the campus" and the corporation would be what?

The City of Mesa a city-college corporation. . .  Is that how it might work ?????

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BLOGGER NOTES:

Bruce Katz of The Brookings Institute brought order to the "Wild West of Innovation District Development"   by defining them by three typologies in his book "The Rise of Innovation Districts":    

• The “anchor plus” model,
• The “re-imagined urban areas” model
•  The "urbanized science park" model

 [QUESTION: Where does DT Mesa fit in?]

> Anchor Plus examples:

Cortex St. Louis

Kendall Square in Cambridge with a start-up incubator

University City in Philadelphia

 

> Re-imagined Urban Areas

South Lake Union in Seattle

Boston Seaport

Brooklyn Navy Yard.

 

> Urbanized Science Parks:

Research Park Triangle in Raleigh-Durham

University of Arizona Tech Park

University of Virginia.

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MAY 1, 2019 Entry: Jane Talkington, PhD innovation and sustainability scholar, strives to maintain a list of self-defined "innovation districts" in the U.S.

There are now over 90 examples of communities pursuing an innovation-driven economy through the establishment of an innovation district (terminology varies among these developments). 

Innovation Districts: University Examples

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

ARIZONA, Mesa

October 2018 Update. Light Rail is ready.
https://thearizona100.com/mesa-innovation-district/

> Four years of discussions led up to a public meeting January 18, 2018.
http://www.mesachamber.org/events/details/the-rise-of-mesa-s-innovation-district-11607

RELATED CONTENT:The Rise of Mesa's Innovation District - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S5zbgVq_00

▶ 1:27:56

Jan 19, 2018 - Uploaded by City of Mesa

The Rise of Mesa's Innovation District. City of Mesa

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The Rise of Mesa's Innovation District with the ... - City of Mesa

https://www.mesaaz.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/4590/1344

Jan 18, 2018 - Downtown Mesa is on the cusp of an urban renewal that will bring exciting innovations with a trained workforce, new housing, collaborative ...

 

The Quick Jab | City of Mesa

https://www.selectmesa.com/about/news-room/economic-reporter.../quick-jab-q4

The Rise of Downtown Mesa's Innovation District – A New Urban Model. ... Innovation Districts, as defined by Washington DC think tank the Brookings Institution, “are geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators, and accelerators.

 

Economic Reporter Newsletter | City of Mesa

https://www.selectmesa.com/about/news-room/economic-reporter-newsletter

April 2019: Q2 -- Economic growth and Opportunity Zones driving new industrial ... October 2018: Q4 -- The Rise of Downtown Mesa's Innovation District - A New

 

 

 

 

 

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Sethuraman Panchanathan talks about AI and other technological innovations

Friday, June 7, 2019

Innovating the Future host and New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter talks to Sethuraman Panchanathan, ASU’s chief research and innovation officer. The conversation offers a fascinating window into the future by focusing on how his research seeks to bring AI and technological innovation to people with physical disabilities.
LINK > https://azpbs.org 

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Dr. Sethuraman (Panch) Panchanathan on Twitter: "What does it mean ...

https://twitter.com/drpanch/status/1060996172834254849?lang=en

▶

Nov 9, 2018

What does it mean to democratize education and include learners of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds ...

Sethuraman Panchanathan - KED on Vimeo

https://vimeo.com › ASU Now › Videos

▶ 2:16

Feb 28, 2018 - Uploaded by ASU Now

This is "Sethuraman Panchanathan - KED" by ASU Now on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the ...

Innovation Session - Sethuraman Panchanathan, Arizona State ...

https://vimeo.com › IGERT Resources › Videos

▶ 12:44

Feb 13, 2015 - Uploaded by IGERT Resources

This is "Innovation Session - Sethuraman Panchanathan, Arizona State University" by IGERT Resources on ...

NOT from The Brightest Minds Inside Mesa City Hall

Your MesaZona blogger really hopes that Mesa Mayor John Giles gets his act together before this year's performance in the State-Of-The-City Speech on February 6, 2018.
He's had the all the opportunities to learn on-the-job getting invited to Harvard and Washington, D.C under the auspices of Mike Bloomberg... It's easy to get elected, hard to perform
Report June 2017      

Advancing a new wave of urban competitiveness:

The role of mayors in the rise of innovation districts

Julie Wagner, Jennifer S. Vey, Steve Davies, and Nathan Storing  

"Over the past year, the United States Conference of Mayors and the Brookings Institution, along with Project for Public Spaces have worked together to capture a new model of growth that is emerging in cities and the particular roles that mayors can play.

This handbook offers concrete strategies for mayors and their administrations to facilitate the rise of innovation districts—small geographic areas within cities where research universities, medical institutions, and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, accelerators, and incubators. They reflect profound market and demographic dynamics that are revaluing proximity, density, walkability, and accessibility—in other words, the natural strengths of cities. . . "

READ MORE >

https://www.brookings.edu/research/advancing-a-new-wave-of-urban-competitiveness/

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innovation DISTRICTS WILL TRANSFORM our CITY

Readers of this blog might like to see how this changed and evolved from 2013 when they called themselves 'a revolution' - the geography of evolution has shifted > workers like to be in close proximity

Link > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6peAaD_avo

 

Published on Dec 16, 2013

Today, innovation is taking place where people can come together, not in isolated spaces. Innovation districts are this century's productive geography, they are both competitive places and 'cool spaces' and they will transform your city and metropolis.
From The Metropolitan Revolution iPad app, which accompanies the new book by Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley. Video narrated by Bruce Katz.
Download the iPad app: http://metrorevolution.org/app

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Table of contents

• Section 1: Introduction
• Section 2: An overview on innovation districts
• Section 3: 12 principles guiding innovation districts
• Section 4: An audit of city assets—Identifying the potential for an innovation district
• Section 5: Mayors as conveners—Engaging local leaders to consider a district strategy
• Section 6: Mayors as champions—Playing a visible role to advance an innovation district
• Section 7: Mayors as catalysts—Using city powers to strengthen an innovation district
• Section 8: Conclusion

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Related resources

• What are innovation districts?
• Essay: The rise of innovation districts: A new geography of innovation
• Follow-up report: One year after: Observations on the rise of innovation districts
• Report: Innovation spaces: The new design of work
• Case study: Positioned for growth: Advancing the Oklahoma City innovation district
• Case study: Connect to compete: Philadelphia’s University City-Center City innovation district

 

 

 

• Cart ...

SLAMMED AGAIN! Agenda for Mesa City Council Study Thu 02 May 2019 @ 07:30 a.m.

This is Death-by-Power Point and one more calculated attempt to Wear-Out everyone's Attention Span!!
Way too much thrown at the public and City Council and so little time in advance to study it all . . . Maybe they plan it that way, huh?  
Tomorrow's study session agenda was made available today - only one day ahead of the "study session".
NOT ENOUGH TIME to seriously devote the time necessary

Once again there are three more City Department Budgets to hear, discuss and provide direction on:
(1) Community Services
(2) Library Services
(3) Arts & Culture.

Any one of them might individually need an hour of attention at the minimum.
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With that being said, before the department budgets presentations are made, there is a previous Item: to hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on 3 projects in what city officials like to call the "Downtown Innovation District". . . and before that is the first item . . .and at the same time in the same place [The Lower Chambers] there is another meeting for the Cadence Community Facilities District.

Review and Discuss 38 Items on the agenda for Mon 06 May 2019 Regular Council Meeting!! 
LINK: Mesa Legistar/Council, Committee & Board Research Center 

•  6 Liquor License Applications (Item 3a - 3e)
• 12 Contracts (Item 4a - 4l) Pay attention to these. Item 4-f is $2,000,000 annually
•  6 Resolutions (Item 5a -5f)
•  8 Ordinances (Item 6a - 6d) + (Item 7a - 7d)
•  2 Sub-Division Plats (Item 8a - 8c) 228 PCD single-residence lots. These are for   Cadence @ Gateway Phase 3
• 2 Public Hearings (Item 9a and 9b) on the release of petitions for signatures for 2 annexation cases:

> Item 9-a ANX18-00502 69.3 acres initiated by VIVO Partners in District 6.

> Item 9b19-00066 13.07 acres initiated by SeanLake, Pew and Lake, PLC in District 5.

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1 Review and discuss items on the agenda for the May 6, 2019 regular Council meeting

2 Presentations/Action Items: You can open the link to the Presentation in the File # insert

 ARTS AND INNOVATION DISTRICT PROJECTS

  DISCUSSION AND DIRECTION

> Item 2-a 19-0526

Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the following Downtown Innovation District projects:

• 1) ASU @ Mesa City Center
• 2) The Studios @ Mesa City Center
• 3) CO+HOOTS @ Benedictine University

The Presentation is 10 Power Point slides
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City Council Study Session

May 2, 2019

Jeff McVay Manager of Downtown Transformation

BLOGGER NOTE:
ASU @ MESA CITY CENTER
Project Update Overall Project Budget: $63.5M
Funding Sources: 

Proceeds from sale of City assets 

Construction sales tax 
Excise tax revenue bonds 
Economic Investment Fund
This is NOT what the proposed new building looks like.

BLOGGER NOTE: THE STUDIOS @ MESA CITY CENTERA renovation of the 1970's-Era old former City of Mesa IT Building on First Street @ SWC Centennial Drive. Next to the City Council Building. What you see is a view from the south. The proposed ASU @ Mesa City Center new construction for one building with an estimated cost of $63,000,000 is planned to go on the footprint of the parking lot in the back on the IT Building on the NWC of Pepper Place/Centennial.It is a very constrained site perimeter that presents multiple problemsSite excavation, connection of utilities and broadband/optical fiber, access and storage for construction machinery and building materials.__________________________________________________________________________

Budget Estimate 

Phase I: $5.0M 

Phase II: $3.0M 

Proposed Funding Sources: Economic Investment Fund

Program 

Former IT Building - Mesa’s first public library (26,500SF) 

Innovation District front door 

Open/Flexible community collaboration spaces 

Corporate partnerships 

City/ASU Inter-governmental agreement 

City design and construction: 6,00012,500 SF 

ASU annual public events: 25 film and 20 entrepreneur and innovation

> Partner with ASU Entrepreneurship and Innovation(E+I) for programming 

• E+I workshops and events 
• Entrepreneurship training and mentoring 
• Place-based programs (e.g. maker spaces) 
• Incubator and accelerator programs

> MEP systems upgrade 

Local Historic Landmark designation 

Design consultant selected 

Prepare concept design: 6-8 months

BLOGGER NOTE: CO+HOOTS @ BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY
It's a proposed built-out for the existing city-owned building at the SEC Main/Hibbert Street. CO+HOOTS was originally intended as an anchor- partner for Tony Wall's GRID Project atop the Pomeroy Street Parking Garage.
Budget Estimate 

$1.5-2.0M (design and construction) 

Proposed Funding Source: Economic Investment Fund 

Program 

Design and construction of approx. 10,000 SF within Gillette Hall at Benedictine 
CO+HOOTS and Benedictine University partnership 
Entrepreneurship curriculum 
80-100 students in program/year 
Co-working space 
300 new Mesa jobs/businesses created 
CO+HOOTS responsible for FF+E 
Regular public entrepreneurship events 
10 year commitment (CO+HOOTS and Benedictine)

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________

File #:

19-0526

Type:

Presentation

Status:

Agenda Ready

In control:

City Council Study Session

On agenda:

5/2/2019

Title:

Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the following Downtown Innovation District projects: 1) ASU @ Mesa City Center, 2) The Studios @ Mesa City Center, and 3) CO+HOOTS @ Benedictine University.

Attachments:

1. Presentation

> Item 2-b 19-0408
Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the following department budgets:

• 1. Community Services
• 2. Library Services
• 3. Arts & Culture

3 Acknowledge receipt of minutes of various boards and committees.

Item 3-a 19-0535

Judicial Advisory Board meeting held on March 20, 2019.3-a

Item 3-b 19-0540

Community and Cultural Development Committee meeting held on April 4, 2019.

Item 3-c 19-0541

Joint Meeting with the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community held on April 15, 2019.

 

(Page 1 City of Mesa Printed on 5/1/2019)

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Did Mayor John Giles Find His "Think Spot" Today Preaching to The Choir?

This post is in three different segments:
> one alternative POV from your MesaZona blogger
> one official media event staged by MesaNow
> one 01:38 Mesa Channel 11 Streaming video
If you don't know what that is, dear readers, it is the City of Mesa's Newsroom.  
The occasion at 10 o'clock this morning was the opening of the $350,000 3-months-late and half-finished THINK SPOT at the Mesa Main Public Library located at 64 E First Street here in downtown Mesa, filmed on-the-spot by Mesa Channel 11.
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First here's the edited video from the event starting at 10:00 am that lasted about 45 minutes.... amazing that it took five days to get uploaded to YouTube
Mesa 11's streaming videos can be found >

Published on Mar 6, 2018

Views: 30

Part of the innovation district, THINKspot at Main Library is now open.
To learn more: www.MesaLibrary.org/THINKspot

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Months before the over-hyped buzz words "Innovation District" entered into the vocabulary of city officials to be the public-relations-mantra for the latest "Make-Over" and Transformation of downtown Mesa as "The Rise of Mesa's Innovation District", CBDG federal funds and money from The Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community became available for another maker-space following the proven success of shared-workspace Heat Sync Labs over the past four years right here on Main Street.
Nonetheless, Mayor John Giles, the last speaker on the program, took to the podium to preach to the peanut gallery filled with a faithful congregation of City Hall employees appearing in supporting roles, while Mesa Channel 11 producer Lily King-Cisneros and the film crew worked behind-the-scenes to bring the news to you - the public and residents of Mesa whose tax dollars finance how "the news" gets programmed for broadcast consumption.

Giles took advantage of his time-in-the-spotlight to launch into more value-added "talking-points" heavy-handed public relations campaign promoting Pie-In-The-Sky proposals for ASU he can't figure out how to pay for, at one time pointing out that D1 Councilmember Mark Freeman after walking around downtown said that he could estimate over $500M invested downtown already 
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Here's the media release today from the City of Mesa Newsroom

THINKspot opens at Mesa Main Library, key component of Downtown Innovation District

March 1, 2018 at 10:56 am

"THINKspot, a high-tech makerspace, is now open at the Mesa Main Library, 64 E. First St., in the City's emerging Downtown Innovation District. THINKspot offers residents, entrepreneurs, educators and students tools to work on individual projects or collaboratively share their ideas. . . "

Reality Check from images captured at Today's opening:
How many "tools" and resources do you see?

 All the speakers read from prepared scripts provided with the favorite most-frequently-used phrase in nearly every single one of the city newsroom's media releases:

"I am excited"

"THINKspot at the Mesa Main Library adds a perfect element to our growing Downtown Innovation District," Mayor John Giles said. "The resources available at THINKspot can help bring any idea to life and give students, tinkerers and businesses the ability to create without having to invest in expensive equipment."

THINKspot has more than 2,900 square feet of space. It includes two 3-D printers; a wood carving machine; a vinyl cutter; two state-of-the-art sewing machines and a photo/video studio that includes a green screen, a Canon digital camera and an iMac with video and audio editing software installed.

Blogger Note: About 1,450 square feet or half of the space for the Teen Think Spot were dark with doors closed and and lights-off for this opening.
That space is to the left side in this rear-view image of the mostly city employees called to the Mesa Main Public Library in supporting roles for this morning's festivities.   
The image below is just minutes before the start

"I could not be more excited" that THINKspot has come to the Main Library," Councilmember Chris Glover said.
"This will truly be a point of pride for our residents here in Downtown. It is high-tech, state-of-the-art and a really fun and innovative addition to our area. I know the impact it has had at Red Mountain and I expect nothing less here at the Main Library."
THINKspot will offer free online and hands-on training for all the equipment, which will be available for anyone 12 years and older to use.
For a listing of trainings and programs offered, visit www.mesalibrary.org/THINKspot.
"THINKspot is a great way to cultivate innovation in our community by providing the resources to make dreams become reality. Since 2013, THINKspot at Red Mountain Library has been a national model of how libraries can transform communities and we know THINKspot at Main will do the same,"
- Mesa Public Library Director Heather Wolf
Funding for construction of THINKspot at the Main Library was from the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community and federal Community Development Block Grant funds. Money raised from the sale of used books will be used to furnish and equip the room.
Public Information and Communications
Contact: Kevin Christopher
Tel. 480-644-4699kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov
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Source:
http://mesanow.org/news/public/article/2058