Tara Vinodrai

Reproducing Toronto's Design Ecology: Career Paths, Intermediaries, and Local Labor Markets

Abstract Creativity is becoming the currency of the contemporary economy. A sustained literature in economic geography and elsewhere has pointed to the importance of creativity, especially in the cultural industries. Production in these sectors often rests upon access to deep pools of highly skilled talent, primarily in large urban regions. However, the recent literature has stated that cultural or creative inputs are not limited to these industries, but also extend into other sectors of the economy that benefit from access to the same (local) labor markets. It is argued that creative work is primarily project based and that highly skilled creative professionals move seamlessly from project to project and from job to job. This circulation of talent is viewed as crucial to the flow of knowledge and the (re)production of practices, norms, and reputations across firm and industry boundaries within the city-region. Despite the compelling nature of this description, the labor market dynamics that underpin this circulation of creative workers remain poorly specified and only weakly substantiated. This article addresses this issue by investigating systematically the local interfirm and interindustry dynamics of creative labor markets. Using evidence from the detailed career histories of practicing designers, as well as in-depth interviews with various institutional actors in Toronto, it documents how the careers of designers are characterized by precariousness and high levels of circulation within the local labor market. The analysis also demonstrates the importance of reputation building, repeated collaborations, shared career paths, and mediation by a constellation of formal and informal intermediary actors for career development.

Life Sciences and Regional Innovation: One Path or Many?

Despite the widespread interest of national, regional and local governments in promoting their own biotechnology industry, it is now well known that this sector exhibits characteristically high levels of geographical clustering in a relatively small number of locations. However, what is less well understood is how these regions have emerged and evolved through time. While there is a tendency to conceive of the necessary and sufficient conditions in fairly universal and formulaic terms—strong research universities with leading medical schools, a well-developed local venture capital industry, and a deep labour market in highly skilled scientific occupations are factors that are most commonly emphasized—we contend that the evolutionary pathways followed by individual regions with successful life science sectors are far from identical. Differences in local historical, geographical and institutional conditions are likely to shape and constrain the subsequent actual evolution of life science industries in particular places in distinctive ways. In this paper, we examine this issue through the lens of a national, 5 years, collaborative research initiative analyzing cluster development and evolution in Canada. We present findings from the study of life science industries in Canadas three largest city regions (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver), as well as in three smaller city regions (Ottawa, Saskatoon and Halifax). Despite the conventional wisdom that public and private research institutions determine the trajectory of life sciences cluster development, our research suggests that a multiplicity of institutional and non-institutional actors, alongside background regional conditions and chance events, provide the impetus for cluster emergence and growth. We find that regional-scale policy interventions within an overarching national institutional framework have both intended and unintended consequences in helping determine the shape and nature of each regions life science clusters. Finally, we find that both local and non-local sources of knowledge are important to sustaining growth, innovation and dynamism within life science clusters.

Learning from America? Knowledge Flows and Industrial Practices of German Firms in North America

Abstract According to conventional wisdom, industrial practices in the advanced economies are becoming more alike as the forces of globalization strengthen and spread. Owing to the deep resources, increasing connectedness, and sophistication of large firms, corporate spaces of learning are now global in scope. Over time, these processes will spell the demise of distinctive national industrial models as global learning erases local variation. This article presents a critical assessment of such claims, based on the study of industrial practices in German firms with manufacturing plants in three regions of North America. The study analyzes workplace organization, employment relations, the use of technology, and associative interaction within the region. It also examines the mechanisms for the transfer of knowledge between German and North American operations and the extent to which such transfers have been successful. Its overriding conclusion is that the progress of “strong convergence” processes has been far more limited than conventional wisdom would suggest. At least in the world of manufacturing, lessons learned in North America have not had a major impact on industrial practices in Germany.

Dimensions of Occupational Changes in Canada's Knowledge Economy, 1971-1996

This paper examines the increasing importance of high-knowledge occupations over the period 1971 to 1996. It also examines changes that have occurred for different knowledge professions, including managers, professionals and technical occupations, by industry and by geographic area.

Constructing the Creative Economy: Design, Intermediaries and Institutions in Toronto and Copenhagen

Vinodrai T. Constructing the creative economy: design, intermediaries and institutions in Toronto and Copenhagen, Regional Studies. This article examines how labour market intermediaries (LMIs) secure the position of creative workers in the regional and national economy. Using evidence from Toronto (Canada) and Copenhagen (Denmark), it investigates the strategies and pathways taken by professional associations to secure the position of one group of workers: designers. The findings reveal the pervasive influence of institutions organized at a variety of scales that shape and constrain the ability of LMIs to secure the position of designers in the creative economy. This results in divergence in how LMIs position design and designers in labour markets, public policy, and global markets in each place.

Planning for Mixed Use: Affordable for Whom?

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Mixed-use zoning is widely advocated to increase density; promote active transportation; encourage economic development; and create lively, diverse neighborhoods. We know little, however, about whether mixed-use developments affect housing affordability. We question the impact of mixed-use zoning on housing affordability in Toronto (Canada) between 1991 and 2006 in the face of waning government support for affordable housing and increasing income inequality due to the occupational restructuring accompanying a shift to a knowledge-based economy. We fi nd that housing in mixed-use zones remained less affordable than housing in the rest of the city and in the metropolitan region. High-income service occupations experienced improved affordability while lower wage service, trade, and manufacturing occupations experienced stagnant or worsening affordability. Housing in mixed-use zones is increasingly affordable only to workers already able to pay higher housing costs. Our findings are limited to Canadas largest city but have lessons for large North American cities with similar urban economies and housing markets. Takeaway for practice: Mixed-use developments may reduce housing affordability in core areas and inadvertently reinforce the sociospatial inequality resulting from occupational polarization unless supported by appropriate affordable housing policies. Planners should consider a range of policy measures to offset the unintentional outcomes of mixed-use developments and ensure affordability within mixed-use zones: inclusionary zoning, density bonuses linked to affordable housing, affordable housing trusts, and other relevant methods.

Designed Here, Made There? Project-based Design Work in Toronto, Canada

In February 2004 the front cover story of The Economist highlighted the shift of white-collar work to offshore locations as firms responded to competitive pressures and lowered their production costs in a globalized economy. In doing so, The Economist asked the provocative question: what will be left if professional services relocate to offshore locations? How will cities, regions and nations in advanced economies remain competitive? According to a growing number of observers of the contemporary economy, the answer is very simple: creativity.