Canada’s Creative Corridor: Connecting Creative Urban & Rural Economies within Eastern Ontario & the Mega Region

AuthentiCity partnered with Richard Florida’s Martin Prosperity Institute led by Richard Florida on this regional economic development strategy addressing Eastern Ontario's position in the “Mega Region” of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, an area that constitutes the largest economy in Canada, the 5th largest in North America and 12th largest in the world.

The study explored how urban and rural linkages provide for economic growth opportunities. Florida’s work built on Jane Jacobs who argued nations don’t generate wealth, cities and regions are where wealth is produced.

The strategy called for collaborative strategies connecting government, business and community groups and what he called networks of creativity – today we would say economic and cultural ecosystems. It analyzed cultural and creative industries and occupations as defined by the Framework for Cultural Statistics (FCS). FCS was originally developed by the Cultural Statistics Program of Statistics Canada before being embraced by UNESCO for the world.

The study advocated mapping cultural resources - both tangible and intangible (community stories) and undertaking municipal cultural planning to stimulate wealth creation and community cohesion.

View the full report here.