Skunkworks: Designing regional innovation spaces for the creative fringe

Innovation is a buzz word that continues to be used in various ways in commercial and political contexts as a passe-partout for economic development and regional prosperity. As a result, innovation spaces, hubs and precincts are often heralded as a panacea by government and industry to bring about a start-up and entrepreneurial culture. However, many innovation spaces exclude people and community groups who could potentially make a useful contribution to innovation. In this positioning paper, we are interested in unpacking the innovation narrative and looking more closely at the types of spaces designed to enable citizens to participate in and contribute to innovation – using both physical and digital means.