Pathways to Ontario’s Knowledge Economy
Richard Florida, Shade Shutters, & Greg Spencer Ontario, like many jurisdictions, is currently facing major economic upheaval due to rapid advances in technologies, increasing open borders, and shifting work … Continue reading
Creative Economy Employment in the US, Canada and the UK
I co-authored a report recently published by Nesta that compares the ‘creative economy’ employment in the US, UK and Canada. You can read the highlights and download the report here. … Continue reading
Creative & cultural workers are the most networked workers
I am very pleased to announce that my most recent article is now published in the International Journal of Creative and Cultural Industries. The article contrasts the work arrangements, social … Continue reading
Regional Innovation Ecosystems
Executive Summary This report examines a wide range of factors that support technological innovation and entrepreneurship in major Canadian city-regions with a special focus on urban areas in Ontario. The … Continue reading
Cluster Atlas of Canada
Report Highlights This report identifies where the major industrial clusters exist within Canada and provides indicators of their relative performance. The purpose is to provide a comprehensive overview of the … Continue reading
The Spatial Scale of Innovation
This report was commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. It mainly examines the geography of patenting activity in Ontario and the spatial relationships between co-inventors. The lead … Continue reading
The Sociocultural Dynamics of Creativity and Innovation
Executive Summary Innovation is key to Ontario’s future economic prosperity and competitiveness. The province’s innovative capacity is based on the skills and talents of its workers. The purpose of this … Continue reading
The Geography of the Creative Process
Much of my work is about understanding the role of location in the creative process and how it pertains to the economy. This paper published in the Journal of Economic … Continue reading
The Creative Economy in Muskoka
Executive Summary Over the past decade, urban and rural communities in Canada and around the world have begun to encourage a creative economy as a mechanism to use local assets … Continue reading
Impact of the Arts in Huntsville
Executive Summary This report argues that arts & culture should be placed at the centre of economic development strategy for The Town Huntsville. While the direct impact of the arts … Continue reading
Anchor Firms and Clusters
Executive summary The main purpose of this report is to assess the relative impacts of industrial clusters and anchor firms on economic prosperity. Industrial clusters are known to provide economic … Continue reading
High Growth Firms and Clusters
Report Highlights Over half (55%) of all high growth firms are located within just 13 local clusters 58.3% of all aerospace HGFs are in just four clusters (Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto, … Continue reading
Local IDEAs 
Canada’s Urban Competitiveness Agenda
With the assistance of the research team at the Martin Prosperity Institute, Richard Florida and I wrote a report on the competing development models that characterize the Canadian economy. One … Continue reading →