Growing Urban Economies: Innovation, Creativity, and Governance in Canadian City-Regions

Even in a globalizing, knowledge-based economy, cities remain engines of growth, innovation, and diversity. Increasingly, they are also active participants in the creation of the social and political conditions necessary to create a thriving community. The Innovation, Creativity, and Governance in Canadian City-Regions series is a focused analysis of how developments at the local and regional level affect these three key determinants of future prosperity. Growing Urban Economies summarizes its conclusions in a single volume that presents an overview of the evidence and its implications.

A rich and nuanced analysis of the interplay of social, political, and economic factors in thirteen Canadian city-regions, large and small, this collection integrates research focusing on innovation, creativity and talent-retention, and governance in order to understand the distinctive experience of each region. A valuable cross-section of city-region development in a variety of circumstances, Growing Urban Economies offers important insights into the way in which local conditions affect urban economies around the world.

David A. Wolfe is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto Mississauga and co-director of the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs. He was National Coordinator of the Innovation Systems Research Network.


Meric S. Gertler served as president of the University of Toronto from 2013 to 2025. Prior to that, he served as dean of arts and science at the university where he championed many important innovations in undergraduate teaching and learning. He is also a professor of geography and planning, the Goldring Chair in Canadian Studies, and a member of the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.