(Ottawa, April 20 ,2006) –Today, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) announced an investment of $2.5 million in a research project that will examine why creative and innovative thinkers are drawn to certain city-regions, why these urban centres attract such talented workers—and how this mutual attraction invigorates the economies of Canada’s metropolises.
University of Toronto political science professor David Wolfe and geography professor Meric Gertler are co-directors of the project, “Social Dynamics of Economic Performance: Innovation and Creativity in City-Regions.” This study will build on their previous research which was also funded through SSHRC’s Major Collaborative Research Initiative (MCRI) program.
This time, the research team will look at why certain cities attract and retain creative and innovative thinkers and how this in turn creates social inclusiveness, civic engagement, and a dynamic economy. The research will focus on three themes: the social dynamics of innovation, creativity and social inclusion, and governance.
“This project will give us a deeper understanding of the connections between creativity, innovation and governance, on the one hand, and long-term urban economic growth and development, on the other,” said Professor Wolfe. “We’re also looking at how these factors play out in Canadian cities of different sizes.”
“The most valuable resources in workplaces today are highly educated and creative workers,” said Professor Gertler. “Our project investigates why such people gravitate to and settle down in certain cities. Places that offer richness of employment opportunity, high quality of life, a critical mass of cultural activities, and social diversity—that is, low barriers to entry for newcomers—seem to exert the strongest pull.”
“A specifically Canadian study of the social factors that determine economic performance in urban areas will provide insight into why innovation and creativity concentrate in certain locales,“ added Gertler.
Cities to be studied include Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa-Gatineau, Québec City, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Halifax, Saskatoon, St. John’s, Kingston, and Saint John. Experts in political science, urban and economic geography, management, economics, science policy and urban planning will collaborate in this major national study. Seven Canadian partners, 22 Canadian co-investigators and 23 collaborators, both Canadian and international, are participating.
An multinational advisory committee of authorities on the geography of innovation and the social dynamics of local economic performance will monitor and provide regular feedback on the research.
This project, one of four selected from 34 applications to the MCRI program, was chosen through a rigorous, independent peer-review process, which ensures that only the best research proposals receive funding. The MCRI program is recognized internationally as a powerful way to get universities and communities working together on research that has important social, economic and cultural impacts on society.
“The University of Toronto project will help us understand how to increase prosperity in cities across Canada,” said Stan Shapson, interim president of SSHRC. “It is just one example of how social sciences and humanities research can make vital contributions to improving the lives of Canadians.”
For additional information on this release and other SSHRC research projects, please contact:
Susan Goodyear
Media Relations Officer
Telephone: (613) 947-4629
E-mail: susan.goodyear@sshrc.ca
