As the University of Florida’s Innovation Square project begins to take shape, a similar development in Atlanta provides an indication of what might be coming… Georgia Tech’s Technology Square development shows the possibilities. The development’s midtown Atlanta address is an obvious difference from the UF project’s location in a Gainesville neighborhood between its much smaller downtown and campus. But the mix of startup companies, established businesses and commercial stores is similar to what UF is seeking. “What makes this place work is the mix,” said Stephen Fleming, vice president of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. Technology Square, commonly called Tech Square, was built in an Atlanta neighborhood where parking lots and warehouses had been located. Georgia Tech was separated from the neighborhood by the Downtown Connector interstate, and the area had become home to drugs and prostitution, said Mack Reese of Gateway Development Services.
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