Research Director Kevin Stolarick will take part in TVO’s Agenda on the Road program in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario this Sunday and Monday, November 16-17. The series focuses on the future of Ontario’s economy, and this edition examines the resource industries.

Sunday’s AgendaCamp forum allows anyone to participate online via web browser, Twitter, Flickr and more, and the MPI’s research team will be contributing to the discussion. Visit the AgendaCamp wiki to learn more about how you can join in.

Monday’s broadcast of The Agenda with Steve Paikin airs at 8pm on TVO.

Research Director Kevin Stolarick and Executive Director James Milway are participating in the Windsor edition of The Agenda‘s AgendaCamp series. Host Steve Paikin, expert guests, and concerned citizens are workshopping the issues facing Ontario’s manufacturing economy.

Participants are using tools like Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube to build an interactive wiki about Ontario’s economy. Watch the live broadcast on Monday, October 20th at 8 pm on TVO and live streaming on tvo.org.

On October 21, the MPI and the Centre for the Study of the United States present a free lecture by Andrew Gelman on “Why Americans Vote the Way They Do”.

Creative China? The University, Human Capital and the Creative Class in Chinese Regional Development is co-authored by Richard Florida, Charlotta Mellander, and Haifeng Qian.

On his Creative Class Exchange blog, Richard Florida responds to criticism from columnist Neil Reynolds.

The 2nd annual Out on Bay Street Conference & Career Fair is organized by students of Ontario universities to bring the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) business leaders of tomorrow together with corporate Canada. On Friday, October 3, MPI Research Director Kevin Stolarick will participate in a panel discussion on the topic “It’s OK to be Out on Bay Street”. On Saturday, October 4, Kevin will lead a workshop on The Impacts of Gay/Lesbian Populations on Regional Prosperity.

MPI announces the City as System conference, taking place October 9 -11 in Toronto. Details

MPI affiliate Betsy Donald of Queen’s University and MPI directors Richard Florida and Kevin Stolarick have won a prestigious Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Business, Finance and Management research grant. Their research will explore the “creative food” economy – specialty, organic, and ethnic foods – and how cultural shifts and changes in consumer demand affect the social dynamics and economic development of urban centres.

Also collaborating on the project are Drs. Alison Blay-Palmer of Wilfred Laurier University and Yolande Chan, Director, Monieson Centre, Queen’s School of Business. The research grant is for $87,000 and runs for 3 years, 2008-2011. Further details are available in this research summary.

This research is related to the MPI’s Creative Industries and the Creative Economy project.

The Creative Regional Strategies course will provide a background in traditional economic development thinking, as well as the theory and practice of economic development in today’s “supply-side” Creative Economy. Course fact sheet

The Creative Economies course will draw on literature from geography, management, and urban planning to explore current theoretical and policy debates on aspects of the creative economy that challenge thinking around ideas of culture, technology, talent, class, diversity, production, manufacturing, services, and land use, among others. While international in scope, special attention will be paid to Ontario examples with designated field trips to creative firms and places in the region. Draft course outline

The MPI welcomes Marisol D’Andrea to the position of Assistant to the Director. She brings extensive communications experience to the MPI and will be responsible for managing Richard Florida’s calendar, planning events, and handling media relations. In her spare time, Marisol enjoys painting with acrylics.

Inside the Black Box of Regional Development – Human Capital, the Creative Class and Tolerance, a joint paper by Richard Florida, Charlotta Mellander and Kevin Stolarick, has been published in the Journal of Economic Geography.

The Martin Prosperity Institute is excited to welcome our first postdoctoral researchers, Dr. Katherine Richardson and Dr. Karen King. Dr. Richardson joins us from the University of British Columbia where she completed her PhD in Urban Economics. Her research specializes in the migratory patterns of the creative class. Dr. King joins us from McMaster University, where she completed her PhD in Geography. Before attending McMaster, Dr. King received her MA in Economics from the University of Toronto. Her research interests include migration, immigration and aging.

We have expanded our presence on the web from the Rotman site to the stand-alone website you are viewing right now. Expect frequent updates and improvements to this site. It is a key part of our strategy for sharing our work with the world. If you notice any technical problems, we encourage you to tell us.

Scott Pennington has joined the Institute after finishing his M.Sc.Pl. at the University of Toronto’s Department of Geography and Planning. Scott’s research focuses on the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in regional economic development.

The Experience the Creative Economy conference kicks off at the MPI headquarters in Toronto’s MaRS Centre. The conference brings together twenty-two leading researchers of the creative economy for three days of discussion, debate, and networking.

The psychologist and contributor to Who’s Your City is in Toronto to attend the Thinking about Thinking conference and meet with MPI staff members.

MPI Executive Assistant Kimberly Ryan completes the Ottawa Half Marathon in a time of 2 hours and 7 minutes.

James Milway is appointed the Executive Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute. Jim brings more than thirty years of business and public policy experience to the Institute. He will continue to serve as Executive Director of the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity, an independent think tank with a mandate to measure and monitor Ontario and Canada’s competitiveness and prosperity.

The MPI’s newest staff member, David R. Smith, has been hired to manage the year-long Ontario in the Creative Age project.

City as System is a mini-conference for academics from across North America to discuss creative new approaches to the empirical analysis of regional economic systems and innovation networks. It takes place in Toronto from October 9-11, 2008. All scheduled sessions will be held at the MPI offices, Suite 420 in the MaRS Centre, Heritage Building, 101 College Street. Friday will be primarily dedicated to presentations of research, while Saturday will be flexibly scheduled to allow for unstructured working sessions and informal discussions between participants. For further information, see the conference schedule or contact Kim Ryan.

The MPI and the Centre for the Study of the United States present a free lecture by Andrew Gelman, Professor of Statistics and Political Science, Columbia University. He is the author of several books, including his latest “Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do” (Princeton University Press, August 2008). Bring your copy to the lecture and Prof. Gelman will autograph it.

Date/Time: October 21, 2pm sharp to 4pm
Place: Room 108N, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, 1 Devonshire Place

Pre-registration online is mandatory: please register here by noon on October 21.

tentatively June 23-25, 2009

Experience the Creative Economy 2009 is designed to promote the exchange of ideas and methods, giving feedback to participants on their current research areas through group discussion. Researchers will explore the creative economy at a multi-dimensional level, focusing on theory, empirical methods, and practical applications.

Conference participants are encouraged to submit an application to the journal Industry and Innovation’s upcoming special issue on the creative and cultural industries (manuscript submission deadline February 1, 2009). More information. The conference will provide an opportunity for accepted author(s) to present their research and get feedback on results prior to final submission of their paper for this special issue.

Terre Haute area jobless rate gets higher, incomes slow to grow by Mark Bennett

If you want to succeed, live where the brightest in your field do – Review of Who’s Your City by Kelvin Browne

Best Cities to Live, Work and Play

People climate or business climate? by Tim Coates

Our small communities shouldn’t be poor and forgotten by Joyce Fairbairn

Cities that act attract young people by Peter Moorhouse & Cheryl Stewart

City’s creativity relies on affordability, author says by Frances Bula

Keeping Portland Unique: An urban celebrity kicks off

Businesses warned about growth’s possible downside by Jonathan Nelson

Big cities pump out university grads: study by Andrew Thompson

In ideas economy, cities, must attract ‘creative class’ by Steven Hunt

Record Breaking Small-time is big-time for a crafty local label Sort Of Records by Arron Jentzen

Hamilton poised for global greatness by Meredith MacLeod

Soul and the City by Larissa Dubecki

Who’s His Lady? by Shinan Govani

The Rise of the Mega-Region by Richard Florida

Becoming a Creative City

Richard Florida by Marc Weisblott

Urba Legends by Stephen Lynch

Creative Politics by Richard Florida

Choosing Home: The Current Advice? Find a City With a Strong Creative Class by Stephen Eaton Hume

Home Is Where the Paycheck Is by Marc Fisher

G is for Guru by Jim Sutherland

Why Philadelphia’s Economic Future Looks so Bright by Richard Florida

A Singles Map of the United States of America by Richard Florida

For Cities to Prosper in the ‘New Economy’ Lively Arts Scene Needed by Walter Mulkewich

Florida heads north for Banff Keynote by Etan Vlessing

Among the 40 ‘Megas’ Denver grabs lofty rank in global economy by Richard Florida

What Does Your City Say About You? by Katie Paul

Breathing Life Back Into the Cities by John Gapper

Do we need Bohemians for Development? by David Campbell

Who’s your city? Book Excerpt

Value of Employment Lands

Choosing a Place to Live by Bret Schulte

Prosperity Researched

Megaregions: The Importance of Place by Richard Florida

Kingston in 25 Years: Bright Lights Big City by Ken Cuthbertson

Partnerships Key to Toronto’s Prosperity by David Hatton

Tank Heaven: Our Brainiest Zaniest Think Tanks by Mike Miner

Capturing the Creative Class by Brian Donahue

Raw Thought Power by Ken Gray

Scientists, Engineers are key to a City’s Growth by Jordana Huber

Somewhere Beyond the Rainbow by San Grewel, Staff Reporter

Toronto’s Creative Capitalism by Chandler Levack

Creating Better McJobs gives food for thought by John Spears, City Hall Bureau

U of T’s Prosperity Institute Addresses Ontario’s Competitiveness by Maria Seros Leung

Urban Legend by Alec Scott