Members of the lab are involved with the Innovations Systems Research Network (ISRN)- a Canada-wide network of researchers examining issues related to the social dynamics of innovation and economic development at the local, regional and national level.
The Creative Convergence Project is a collaborative initiative led by the Toronto group Artscape, which aims to link various stakeholders in the promotion and support of Toronto’s creative industries. The cultural economy lab assisted Artscape with a GIS mapping project to identify cultural spaces and creative clusters within the city of Toronto.
The ‘placing creativity’ group is a team of students, researchers, and professors, as well as representatives from municipal and provincial planning offices, working together on a number of projects dealing with the ‘creative city’ agenda.
Lab members engage in research and conduct interviews with actors in various sectors of the creative economy, including the arts, fashion design, architecture and biotech industries. The ISRN project is intended to assist policy makers with understanding innovation dynamics, and focuses on a number of key areas such as creativity, civic governance and social inclusion. Visit the website here.
The mapping project is used to better understand the spatial organization of creativity in the city and to identify areas where infrastructure and resources could be provided to help support creative growth. For more information on the project check here. To check out some of the maps click here.
A primary objective for the group is to find ways in which occupational and industry statistical data can be effectively used to help inform cultural theory development and policy planning.
The group is concerned with issues raised by ‘creative city’ theory, such as: economic policy development and social inclusion, impacts on land value and affordable housing, and understanding the spatial distribution of creativity in Toronto using GIS mapping techniques. The group meets regularly to share resources and discuss strategy.
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