Creativity Killed the Recession blog features Dr. Kevin Stolarick in a 4-part series.

The Canadian edition of Who’s Your City? How the Creative Economy is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of your Life is now available in bookstores and online at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Who’s Your City, Canada? Find out with our Place Finder.

How can companies and other organizations tap into and enhance the creative potential of their employees? To explore this question and others, the Martin Prosperity Institute is pleased to announce a new Fall 2009 course called Creativity & Business in collaboration with Queen’s University and the University of Waterloo. The interdisciplinary course will draw on insights from many fields – management, economics, geography, urban planning, sociology, philosophy, and the arts – to explore the multi-faceted relationship between creativity and business. It will focus on the following key elements:

• Talent & Skills
• Tolerance & Diversity
• Technology & Innovation
• Amenities, Benefits & Workspace
• Prosperity & the Multiple Bottom Line
• Managing Creativity in Challenging Times

Instructors will be Kevin Stolarick, Betsy Donald, and Tara Vinodrai. Richard Florida will participate in several class discussions. Students will attend most classes at their registered school, but some weeks the class will travel, both to its partner campuses and to visit businesses that do an exceptional job of harnessing creativity. A fee will be assessed to cover group travel costs.

This is a seminar-style course and space is extremely limited. Students must be eligible to register for graduate courses at either the University of Toronto, Queen’s University or the University of Waterloo. If you’re interested in taking the class, please send a two-paragraph note describing your academic background and reasons for interest in the course to info@martinprosperity.org by July 31, 2009. This deadline may be different at our partner schools – please contact your school’s instructor for details.

Syllabi for related courses offered by the MPI in the past (PDFs): Winter 2008 | Fall 2008

Research Director Kevin Stolarick and Research Associates Patrick Adler, Scott Pennington and Ronnie Sanders are participating in the Waterloo edition of TVOntario’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin‘s AgendaCamp series. Expert guests and concerned citizens will debate the issues facing Ontario’s innovation economy on Sunday, March 29 from 9:30am to 4:30pm at the Davis Centre, 200 University Avenue West, University of Waterloo.

Director Richard Florida will be a guest on the televised component of AgendaCamp along with Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie, broadcasting live on Monday, March 30 at 8 pm on TVO.

Learn more about how to attend in person or join in online via the AgendaCamp website and contribute to the TV program’s schedule on the AgendaCamp wiki’s open source TV production page.

The Martin Prosperity Institute welcomes interested scholars to apply for its upcoming one-year Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship, commencing September 2009. One or more positions are available.

Applicants should have relevant research experience and hold, or obtain shortly, a PhD in business, economics, geography or a related field. Positions will be filled based on candidate qualifications and research interests. Preference will be given to outstanding candidates whose research interests best complement the Institute’s current research.

This position will be filled for a one-year term (either academic or calendar is negotiable) and holds the possibility of renewal for one additional year. Applications must be received by May 31, 2009.

Detailed information for applicants (PDF)

MPI Post-Doctoral Fellow Karen King will be presenting her paper entitled “Technology, talent and tolerance and internal migration: Evidence from the 2001 Census of Canada” at the 26th International Population Conference 26th International Population Conference in Marrakech, Morocco to be held from 27 September to 2 October 2009.

In the 2008 Ontario budget, the Ontario Government asked Roger Martin, Dean of the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and Richard Florida, Director of the Rotman School’s Martin Prosperity Institute to “undertake a study of the changing composition of Ontario’s economy and workforce, examine historical changes and projected future trends affecting Ontario, and provide recommendations to the Province for ensuring that Ontario’s economy and people remain globally competitive and prosperous.” The first report in this program of research has now been released. Read Ontario in the Creative Age

The DiverseCity project to build a more diverse leadership in the Greater Toronto Area is inviting applications to its nine-month Fellows program. The initiative aims to turn those with a track record of leadership in work, volunteer, academic or community life into leaders at building a better, stronger Toronto region.

As part of our new Insights series of bulletins, we’ve released a brief summary of how economic turbulence affects different categories of jobs: Economic Pain Not Spread Equally. This issue is part of our research project for the government of Ontario, Ontario in the Creative Age.

Research Director Kevin Stolarick presented the report, entitled Funding to Arts and Cultural Organizations by the City of Toronto, 1990-2008, to the City of Toronto’s Economic Development Committee today. The study, co-authored by research assistant Andrew Bell and Dr. Stolarick, benchmarks Toronto’s level of cultural funding. It also notes that the city can leverage its current cultural capital by building on its inclusive nature and existing brand strengths.

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.

In the 2008 Ontario budget, the Martin Prosperity Institute has been tasked with producing a report on the future prosperity of the province. The project, dubbed Ontario in the Creative Age, is set to deliver a final report in February 2009.

Mayor of Toronto David Miller and members of the Mayor’s Economic Competitiveness Advisory Committee today unveiled the Agenda for Prosperity, a report that presents an achievable vision for growing the city’s long-term prosperity.

Our new issue of Insights, Economic Pain Not Spread Equally, examines how changes in unemployment affect different categories of jobs. The research is part of our Ontario in the Creative Age project for the province of Ontario.

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.

Download the conference announcement

Download the conference programme

Creative Places + Spaces: The Collaborative City

Dates: October 28-30, 2009
Location: Toronto
Topic: The Collaborative City

Why Certain Cities Attract Gen Ys
by Richard Florida

Global City’s inaugural Middle East edition ends on successful note

Ottawa a “hot spring” of innovation

Ontario competes, but has room to grow

Who’s Your City!

Time for Vancouver to get aboard Obama’s Cascadia Express

Region suffers from ‘brain drain’

Diamond in the rust

Creative minds will gather at EDC’s next Project Innovation program

Chamber touts our strengths

Scholar: It’s Time For The Post-Automotive Era

Arts council receives $40,000 grant for arts-in-education program

Economic downturn called opportunity to modernize

Minority Rules: Sex Ratios and Suffrage

Move house and join your favourite cluster

Creativity Killed the Recession blog features Dr. Kevin Stolarick in a 4-part series.

Mapped out: Britain’s personality clusters

Another laurel for Fredericton

Urban guru ranks Guelph among top 10 in Canada

Ottawa-Gatineau tops in list of favourite cities to live

Ottawa: It’s Canada’s Most Creative Place

Canada must seize the advantage

Ils sont plus scolarisés que les Canadiens de souche

Will stimulus debts spur an effective fix?

The creative compact

Urban Living: Home, sweet home by Chet Wesley

National Post columnist Jonathan Kay calls Richard Florida “the world’s most influential living urban theorist”.

In recognition of International Women’s Day, The Bulletin interviews Marisol on Achieving Gender Equity, and features her paintings.

Planning guru Richard Florida holds out some hope for Vegas

Richard Florida on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos.

CBC Sunday interviews Richard Florida.

How the Crash Will Reshape America, by Richard Florida.

L’heure de gloire de la «classe créative» par Marc Allard

Daniel Lak of CBC News discusses the economic crisis with MPI Research Director Kevin Stolarick.

The bumpy economic ride far from over by Christina Blizzard

Waterloo Region in the Creative Age

Work smarter, not harder by Laura Cudworth

Opinion Point of View: To be economic leader, we have to get to work by Paul Berton

What Martin-Florida blueprint gets right and wrong by David Olive

While markets burn, Ontario dithers by Thomas Walkom

Help Begins at Home by Paulette Bourgeois

Factories and farms by John Meyer

Ottawa ‘world leader’ of new economy by Lee Greenberg

NDP blasts report on province’s jobs future by Antonella Artuso

Turning buzzwords into reality by Jim Coyle

Editorial: An opportunity to be creative

Brains, not brawn, will save Ontario: Report

Ontario’s prosperity hinges on harnessing creativity; Province should aim for half its workforce to have high-paying, high-value jobs by 2030 by Richard Florida and Roger Martin

McGuinty asked for ideas, now courage is called for by John Barber

Economic crisis: The shakeup Canadians need? Report on Ontario’s prosperity urges a transition to a new creative economy from the dying industrial age by Karen Howlett

Don’t Scrimp on Creativity

‘Creative’ economy touted for Ontario by Sandro Contenta and Robert Benzie

Report: London’s future in knowledge industries By Randy Richmond

Video of the presentation of The Ontario in the Creative Age report to Minister of Economic Development, Michael Bryant, with Dr. Richard Florida and Dean Roger Martin. Recorded at the Economic Club of Toronto.

Un rapport à poser sur la table de chevet de Jean Charest et de Pauline Marois

Report urges ‘creativity-oriented economy’ for Ontario by Sandro Contenta

Invest in Creativity: Report by Antonella Artuso

Toronto in the future – Matt Galloway speaks with Richard Florida

Changing Places – Peter Day speaks with Richard Florida

Russia’s youth ready to embrace the dawn of a new era by Richard Florida

Former Bankers Turn to a Creative Plan B by Hannah Seligson

High-speed rail links urged for Ontario by Sandro Contenta

Looking at the recession as an opportunity by Sandro Contenta

Live, work, shop by Tracey Taylor

Where a recession will hurt the most by Richard Florida and James Milway

The Triumph Of The Creative Class by Joel Kotkin

The new politics of class war point to a frightening future by Richard Florida

Each person should find their dream in Barrie, Florida says

Harnessing Montreal’s creativity by Phyllis Lambert

Creativity is economic engine for cities

Economics of open source remains an academic challenge by Dana Blankenhorn

Opinion: Keep the door open to world talent; reject to Prop. 8 by Andrew J. Szeri

Dance the dance, pay the piper

Individual identity vs. the financial crisis by Richard Florida

The case for strong cities

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

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