Tulane University President Mike Fitts underscored the untapped potential of urban-based research universities in vacant buildings in an op-ed for Forbes earlier this month. 

Amid a growing effort to transform Tulane’s downtown campus, Fitts emphasized the university’s role in driving innovation and economic growth across New Orleans. Tulane currently supports more than 17,000 jobs in New Orleans, the second largest employer in the city. 

Tulane is investing $600 million in its downtown expansion, transforming the former Charity Hospital into a hub for biotechnology innovation. The development is estimated to create over 1,200 permanent jobs, adding to the $5.2 billion impact Tulane activity contributes to the state each year.

In partnership with public and private entities, Tulane is investing $1 billion in construction, primarily in the heart of New Orleans. The plan is to occupy at least 25 downtown buildings, including labs, classrooms, retail outlets, restaurants and other venues, without displacing a single resident, Fitts said.

Abandoned office towers could be turned into labs and startup spaces, attracting people to a walkable urban core to live, work and spend their leisure hours. Quoting the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Fitts wrote, “The way to build a great city is to create a great university and wait 200 years.”

Fitts said this revival engine would benefit both longtime residents and newcomers, creating jobs and community spaces and providing opportunities for residents to embrace shared experiences. 

“While businesses of all kinds can attract workers to a municipality’s downtown, universities, like no other enterprise, can literally create neighborhoods and help ensure a thriving future of urban life,” Fitts wrote.