Cities across the U.S. are increasingly focusing their economic development efforts on innovation to spur economic growth. Investments in these assets – from advanced manufacturing technologies to tech firms to makerspaces – may grow businesses and create new jobs, but can also exacerbate inequities in cities already facing widening economic and racial disparities.

The Equitable Innovation Economies Initiative (EIE) is a multi-year project launched by the Pratt Center for Community Development in collaboration with PolicyLink and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance to help cities pursue more inclusive growth strategies in innovation and manufacturing.

In the pilot phase of this initiative, four cities – Indianapolis, New York City, Portland, OR and San Jose, CA – have been working together to identify and address barriers in their economic development strategies. Together, these cities are prioritizing equity objectives, refining programmatic approaches, and tracking the impacts of their efforts to advance more equitable outcomes.