Innovation is necessary in enhancing economic status of Canadian mid-sized cities in the growing knowledge-driven economy. There has been rising recognition that has led to many mid-size cities take control of their economic prosperity after the new millennium, as they try to define themselves in the face of knowledge-based economy. In Canada, several mid-sized cities show that new methods to economic development offers important illustration of how culture and creativity can help in promoting new economic trajectories in a knowledge-based economy and attract a stable workforce, and ensure that they have continued growth and economic stability. The creative city agenda and recent attempts to include culture into a planning process are means to improve new economy based on different class of workers. However, there are different opinions as to whether these tools are the right ones for mid-sized cities. Consequently, adopting a creative city agenda is the best way to integrate culture into planning processes and ensure prosperity of medium-sized cities in Canada.
Large cities in a knowledge-based economy pose serious challenges to medium-sized cities in Canada. Several medium-sized cities in Canada have old industrial stations, or lack knowledge base and opportunities for them to compete with large cities. These cities face a difficult task of redefining themselves and their local economies due to lack of resources and knowledge-based concerns that new economies require. Therefore, incorporating the local culture into planning a medium-sized city development may offer solutions to creative city development agenda. For instance, the medium-sized city of Waterloo has found success by redefining its institutional and cultural resources and creative agenda into factors of economic prosperity (Bramwell and David 1187).
How do we integrate culture in mid-size cities in driving a new economy?
Canada’s medium-sized cities in remote locations from the large cities have limited prospects of benefiting from opportunities of large cities. These mid-sized cities suffer from loss of talent to other cities, as well as the issue of attracting and retaining knowledge-based workers (Polese and Shearmur 3). Consequently, medium-sized cities find it necessary to pursue local creativity, and at the same time, incorporate local culture into economic policy for sustained growth. Therefore, there is a need for both national and local government to work together in redefining new economic policies for Canadian medium-sized cities.
Medium-sized cities need to adopt modern planning for economic growth in order to stay relevant in a knowledge-driven economy. This can only happen when there is a strong relationship among the local authorities, private and public investors, and local culture that result into sustained economic development. Sustainable economic growth must rely on successful plans with the stakeholders using the local capital and culture to do so. Therefore, medium-sized cities must develop innovation strategies at the local level to incorporate their cultures into economic development to reduce the gap that exists due to lack of workers in a knowledge-based economy. However, this relies on innovation and interaction among different elements in medium-sized cities and their efforts to provide local-based resources. Most medium-sized cities have realized that they cannot compete effectively if they do not incorporate their culture, and culture heritages in defining their economic agenda. Scholars identify three bottom lines of evaluating effects of culture which cover economic, environmental and social impacts. Therefore, medium-sized cities have noted that economic growth activities focusing on knowledge-intensive activities may not work in all cities. Instead, they have turned to the development policies to support local strengths in individual medium-sized cities (Simmie 214).
What are the divergent opinions regarding integration of culture into a new economy?
Local factors such as culture and heritages have a strong influence on economic trajectories of a city. Issues of political agency deduce that medium-sized cities have influence over their own social and economic challenges. This is due to the growing trends in a knowledge-based economy where policies now focus on management at local levels. Consequently, most medium-sized cities have noted the importance of using local policies and resources to define their economic paths. In this regard, a new economic policy for medium-sized cities needs new policies, different styles of developing policies, and deploying them into local knowledge management (Scott 499).
A fundamental issue to policymakers at the local level is how to ensure that there are favorable conditions for creating, and sustaining various ways of economic activities for enhancing the overall economic development. The main concern is how to identify the most effective ways of changing conditions that affect the economic growth in medium-sized cities of Canada. Thus, policymakers must articulate issues concerning creating, supporting and ensuring sustainability of local ways of creativity to increase economic competition and competitiveness of medium-sized cities. Most of the successful medium-sized cities such as Waterloo and Kingston have engaged in management of local knowledge in order to identify and create their assets, implement and support them in their development agendas and emphasis local based mindset that works towards achieving sustained local growth. Hence, use of local resources such as cultural events and heritages can enhance economic competitiveness of medium-sized cities in economic growth.
Works Cited
Bramwell, Allison. and David Wolfe. “Universities and Regional Economic Development: The Entrepreneurial University of Waterloo.” Research Policy 37.1 (2008): 1175-1187. Print.
Polese, Mario and Richard Shearmur. The Periphery in the Knowledge-Based Economy: The Spatial Dynamics of the Canadian Economy and the Future of Non-Metropolitan Regions in Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces. Montreal: INRS-UCS Montreal, 2002. Print.
Scott, Allen. “A Perspective of Economic Geography.” Journal of Economic Geography 4.1 (2007): 479-499. Print.
Simmie, James. “Trading Places: Competitive Cities In The Global Economy.” European Planning Studies 35.4 (2002): 201-214. Print.