The City of Hoboken, the Hoboken Public Library, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Propelify LLC/NJ tech Council retained FCA to undertake a strategic planning study of the physical spaces, resources, programs, and policies necessary to support innovation in Hoboken and the Hudson County region. The six-month study included an inventory of existing innovation infrastructure in the region, a survey of best practices nationally, and opportunities for input from elected officials, civic leaders, stakeholders, and the broader public. The goal of the study was to identify unmet needs, and make recommendations for organizational, programmatic, and spatial strategies to support innovation and inclusive entrepreneurship within the region. FCA conducted several rounds of information gathering and analysis to understand the strengths and opportunities in the city, as well as benchmark other innovation hubs around the country. 

Outcomes from the Study are:

1. Solidify partnerships to foster further innovation and entrepreneurial pathways for a broad Hoboken community. 

 2. Document the City, its partners, and the community’s ability, interest, and plans to advance economic development opportunities made possible by Governor Murphy and NJDEA. 

 3. Outline a phased framework for incremental development of an Innovation Center. 

 4.Define the City’s role in cultivating innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

 5. Provide a compelling vision for locating a Hub for Innovation at the Hoboken Public Library. 

 6. Pave the way for parallel development of an advanced innovation accelerator to develop, test, and fund new businesses through new emerging uses of technology. 

 7. Showcase Hoboken as a premier mixed-use neighborhood with vibrant amenities for living, learning, and advancing new ideas.

 8. Develop consensus and a scope of program that can serve as the basis for implementation planning with additional funding from NJDEA and other sources.