Anchor institutions like universities and hospitals directly and indirectly generate considerable economic activity. However, the potential impact of this economic activity for regional economies is often not fully realized, in part because the benefits and opportunities created by that economic activity are not aggregated or geographically concentrated in the anchors’ home region. Meanwhile, insufficient attention is paid to how regional residents—including low-income residents—might access such opportunities.

This report examines that issue using the ideas that emerged out of a Living Cities Design Lab