Brampton Economic Development Master Plan

Brampton

Economic

Development

Master Plan

May 25, 2018

Contents

Introduction: Building on Brampton’s new approach to

economic development 2

The big picture: Economic trends that will affect Brampton’s growth 4

Research and analysis: Five key themes for growth 7

A plan today for Brampton’s tomorrow 15

Appendix A: Bibliography 22

Appendix B: Analysis for Economic Development Master Plan 27

Introduction:

Building on

Brampton’s

new approach

to economic

development

Unlike other Canadian cities, Brampton has undergone significant population

growth over the last three decades. It is now the ninth largest, and fastest-

growing, city in Canada, thanks in part to a significant influx of new Canadians. It

is expected that the city will continue to grow at a strong rate over the next

20 years, with the estimated population in 2041 being almost 900,000,

compared to the current figure of more than 600,000.

However, more than 60 percent of current working residents leave the city

every day to go to work. The number and right kind of jobs—suiting residents’

education, talents, skills and preferences—are simply not available within

Brampton’s borders. In order to bring 140,000 net new jobs to Brampton over

the next 20 years—and in light of global competition, technological disruptions

and demands for talent—Brampton must continue to deliver services and

programs that support talent development, new Canadians, and increased

innovation and competitiveness.

To this end—and to ensure Brampton becomes a significant competitor to other

Canadian and global cities—the City is transforming its approach to economic

development. Acknowledging the role culture plays in the vibrancy of the city,

the Economic Development and Culture office is driving business development

and investment in key sectors (advanced manufacturing, health and life

sciences, innovation and technology, entrepreneurship and logistics) and taking

other important steps, including these:

• playing a key role in the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster (Toronto to

Waterloo region);

• providing entrepreneurial services and resources through the Brampton

Entrepreneur Centre;

• developing a new health and life sciences cluster in the downtown;

• focusing on creating a medical hub through the Community Improvement

Program;

• creating an innovation hub around the new Ryerson University campus and

the Centre for Innovation;

• building a strong technology community; and

• developing a culturally vibrant community and a strong sense of place in

Brampton.

Yet the City must push beyond these initial measures to develop and invest in

new approaches. It must embrace measured risk-taking, emphasize adaptability

and agility, step up its investment activity, and lead partnerships with

businesses, the academic sector, not-for-profits and other groups to meet its

goals.

Brampton is in a uniquely competitive position. It must make the most of its

large, diverse and growing population by generating improved employment,

investment, innovation and socio-economic benefits of its own. Brampton

Showcasing Brampton

The 2017–18 bid for Amazon’s

second headquarters helped put

the Toronto region and Brampton

on the map with regard to

investment attraction.

For example, the City’s

partnership with Toronto Global

allowed the City to spread the

word about Brampton’s current

and potential employment lands,

young and skilled talent pool, and

emerging and active cultural

scene, as well as significant

regional investments that have

been made in transportation

infrastructure.

needs to become a destination for sustainable job growth and a strong regional

economic partner to compete, and attract talent and investment.

Brampton’s economic development work over the coming decades must not

only be prioritized with key sectors and assets in mind, but also fit into recent

developments—such as the announcement of a new Ryerson University

campus, the Centre of Innovation, investments in the health cluster, and

Brampton’s participation in the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster—while

continuing ongoing support for businesses.

A plan for the future

In 2016, Brampton City Council approved the development of a plan to guide

the City of Brampton’s economic development activities for the next 25 years.

This forward-looking plan is fully integrated with the City’s 2016–2018 Strategic

Plan and is informed by the Brampton 2040 Vision: Living the Mosaic and the

Culture Master Plan. The development and involvement of the steering

committee was rooted in the desire for a collaborative process leading to the

evolution of the master plan.

Through the Strategic Plan, Council endorsed the priority to make both the City

and Brampton’s people future-ready. The Strategic Plan brings six “game

changers”—Health Partnerships, Planning Vision, Riverwalk, Regional

Connections, University and Urban Centres—into sharp focus as the drivers of

the next 30 years of life and growth in Brampton.

These pillars tie directly to economic development, making it essential that the

City develop and follow a robust and proactive plan to bring about the desired

future—that is, “a mosaic of vibrant centres with quality jobs, a rich range of

activities, and integrated living,” as the Brampton 2040 Vision describes it.

This plan gathers current information on the local, regional and global economic

challenges the City and its partners must grapple with to build a healthy and

vibrant community

Original research grounds the plan, most notably a survey of six cities across the

globe that share characteristics with Brampton and face similar challenges. The

results shed light on the creative steps—both successful and unsuccessful—the

cities took and that, in turn, inspired a made-in-Brampton course of action that

reflects local circumstances and the city’s place in the Toronto region, southern

Ontario, Canada and the world.

Led by a steering committee made up of select business and community

leaders, and a number of City representatives, the City also sought the input of

Brampton business leaders and entrepreneurs through four focus groups.

The resulting plan forms the foundation on which the City can develop and

implement key policies, actions, plans, tactics and programs to achieve its goals.

Steering Committee members

Private sector

• Cliff Benson, VSETA

Engineering and Brampton

Mastermind

• Joe Crump, The Crump Group,

Inc.

• Natalie Francis, Marketing

Strategist

• Kanwar Dhanjal, Just

Instruments Inc.

• Evan Moore, Prouse, Dash &

Crouch, LLP

• Rod Rice, Rice Development

Corp.

• Heather Strati, Deloitte

Private, and Chair, Brampton

Board of Trade

Non-governmental organization

• Shalini da Cunha, Executive

Director, Peel Halton

Workforce Development

Group

City of Brampton

• Councillor Jeff Bowman

• Councillor Doug Whillans

• Robert Seguin (Committee

chair)

• Martin Bohl

• Tyson Ma

• Denise McClure

• James Macintyre

• David Smouter

• David Waters

The big

picture:

Economic

trends that

will affect

Brampton’s

growth

Since Brampton’s economy is not immune to broader economic trends, the

City’s emerging approach to economic development must be fully informed by

local circumstances and also regional, national and global patterns of change.

As foundational work for the development of the Brampton Economic

Development Plan, City staff undertook a thorough review of the business and

economic literature to fill out their understanding of the ever-changing strategic

and economic landscape.

Of particular note are the numerous studies that have appeared on future

growth and constraints related to disruptive technologies, including

developments such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, quantum

computing and cyber-security. Underlying these analyses is the recognition that

as these technologies become minimum requirements, sustained innovation

and commercialization will be central to long-term business growth and

community prosperity.

Such technological changes have also prompted analyses of future impacts on

talent, workforce development, and demands for new and continuous learning,

as well as impacts on jobs and businesses. In turn, demographic changes and

migration trends have spurred studies of possible new constraints on future

talent pools and skills capacities.

The following reviews some of the key trends and the implications for economic

development and prosperity that underpin this plan’s recommendations and

short- and long-term actions.

Canada’s growth opportunities

In its December 2017 final report, the federal Advisory Council on Economic

Growth stressed that past growth is not likely to be sufficient to meet the needs

of future growth in Canada. In the council’s view, the status quo would not

suffice – but a future of slower growth is not inevitable for Canada.

The report sets out three drivers of economic growth:

• the pace of technological change, which has accelerated rapidly, reshaping

business and the world of work;

• the shift of global economic power from West to East; and

• the aging populations of major advanced and emerging economies.

The report acknowledges that these drivers will lead to both a wealth of new

opportunities and markets for Canada, and numerous challenges for Canadians

and Canadian businesses wishing to succeed.

Global risk and reward

The World Economic Forum’s “Global Risk Report 2018” identifies a series of

high-level global economic, social and policy risks that will have varying impacts

on future prosperity, security and growth: inequality and unfairness, risks of

conflict, and planet-level environmental distress.

The report lists major economic “storm clouds”—long-term vulnerabilities, such

as finance and debt, the limits of cyber-defences, the lack of policy firepower,

technical disruption, and politics and protectionism, for example—and analyzes

their potential adverse economic impacts, and contains possible strategies for

responding to them.

The report also notes that a number of technologies cut across a range of

sectors, and emphasizes the challenges stemming from cyber-security in all

sectors.

Technological disruptions

In a February 2018 article, “Solving the Productivity Puzzle: The Role of Demand

and Promise of Digitization,” McKinsey Global Institute identifies three waves of

changes in labour productivity in the U.S. economy, with the third being

digitization. While transforming operating and business models in all sectors,

digitization can, according to the authors, address productivity growth—critical

to increased prosperity—and promote and sustain productivity by its diffusion.

This digitization diffusion will help drive existing and new competitors to

perform better, in turn leading to greater product and service improvements

and innovations.

Talent, competition and disruption

“Disruptive forces in the industrial sectors: Global executive survey” (McKinsey

& Company, March 2018) highlights the results of a recent survey of 300 global

executives in various industrial sectors.

There was wide recognition among respondents of massive advances in data

generation, computing power and connectedness to drive both the scale and

speed of disruptions for industrial and related firms. Respondents also noted

the variety of new disruptive technologies—artificial intelligence, the Internet of

Things, cyber-security, electrification in developing economies—that could

create vast new market opportunities. However, these would be matched by

challenges related to talent, continuous training, applicability of existing

business models and the need to handle the speed and scale of such sometimes

simultaneous disruptions.

Innovation and public policy

The latest Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity Working Paper, “The

Final Leg: How Ontario can win the innovation race” (April 2018), identifies a key

gap in innovation capacity in Ontario. The paper focuses on commercialization,

and the need to develop ways to significantly improve and deliver on private

and public resources already dedicated to innovation. The Institute notes the

unique importance of innovation—regardless of the scale of firms—to achieve

sustained prosperity.

Building upon previous federal, provincial and private sector reports on this

topic, the paper identifies opportunities to improve public policy and

programming related to innovation activities, operations and institutions, so as

to expand the benefits of new disruptions across all firms. In particular, the

paper’s authors analyze new pilot projects being carried out in Ontario in

conjunction with various institutes of the German Fraunhofer Society. These

projects seek to link innovation policy, research and development investments,

skills development and training, and new talent creation, to then successfully

commercialize investments in research and development, and innovation in

entrepreneurial firms, scale-ups and existing commercial operations.

These reports, as with many others, emphasize the scale, speed and intensity of

new market and technology disruptions on investments, talent and existing

marketplaces. Consequently, the agility of firms and public bodies to respond to

these disruptions, while sustaining new public and private investments, and

capacity to innovate, is at a premium.

Research and analysis: Five key

themes for growth

Following on the literature review presented in the previous chapter, City

officials commissioned original research to ground recommendations for

specific economic development initiatives for Brampton based on the

experience of other, similar cities, and input from local stakeholders. This

chapter reviews the results of this research, organized by the five key themes

the City identified as being critical to achieving sustained economic growth, as

follows.

Talent and workforce: Attracting, developing and retaining talent is paramount

to any city’s economic growth. The right workforce gives a city a competitive

edge. Investment flows in. Existing businesses thrive. Residents are gainfully

employed in their community. At the same time, investment into local talent

stimulates collaboration and partnerships—with businesses and post-secondary

institutions—and ample opportunities for innovation.

Investment: Public and private investments in public infrastructure,

commercialization of new knowledge, green investments and education not

only bring social and cultural benefits to cities but also foster a more

sustainable, diverse and innovative local economy that offers opportunities for

all citizens.

Innovation and technology: Innovation and entrepreneurship shape the future

of a city and drive economic growth by spurring the creation and dissemination

of new knowledge and technological breakthroughs. City governments play a

crucial role in providing the local conditions in which entrepreneurship and

innovation can thrive—fostering transformative job creation, technological

development and productivity.

Employment lands: City leadership is proactive in managing the supply of

available employment lands to promote commercial, and industrial

development. Strategic initiatives and processes reduce encroachment into

existing employment areas and preserve designated and future employment

lands while fostering connections within the municipality and with neighbours.

Brampton’s work under this theme will require collaboration with the

Government of Ontario, since it protects and manages employment lands

through the Planning Act and various other Provincial plans.

Competitiveness: A city’s competitiveness drives economic development, and

stimulates wealth and prosperity for residents by facilitating business and

industry growth. The City must develop and implement policies, initiatives and

processes—particularly in the area of investment attraction—to help Brampton

stand out in an increasingly challenging globalized environment.

Steering Committee input

• The City of Brampton can play a

key leadership and facilitation

role in workforce development.

• Incentives and business

support loans should be

available to new start-ups.

• The City must develop and

implement a new brand that

reflects the focus on key

innovative sectors, culture and

a sense of urban place.

• Brampton needs a collaborative

space/incubator to nurture and

develop new business

opportunities.

Invited business and organization

focus group input

• Brampton will be a world-class,

tech-based smart city,

education destination and

innovation hub.

• It will be an established

technology and advanced

manufacturing hub.

• It will have a transformed

brand: from bedroom

community to the next

metropolitan centre.

• It will have an established and

prominent academic presence.

• Businesses will be proud to be

here, while the lifestyle will

attract and retain employees.

• Brampton will be a community

that encourages work-life

balance.

• It will be a business destination

with sustainable office

infrastructure and green space.

Comparator cities

To choose the six comparator cities, City staff, the members of the Steering

Committee and the consultant jointly developed selection criteria related to

demographic, geographic, economic and liveability factors, as follows:

• cities with similar population size and growth to that of Brampton;

• cities that exhibit characteristics to which Brampton aspires; and

• cities that are highly regarded for their economic growth, technological

impact and overall appeal.

Using these criteria, the following are the six comparator cities:

• Surrey, British Columbia;

• San Jose, California;

• Austin, Texas;

• Charlotte, North Carolina;

• Columbus, Ohio; and

• Oslo, Norway.

The following table provides basic data about Brampton and each of the six

other cities. The full consultant’s report (available on the City of Brampton

website) contains more information on each jurisdiction.

To provide City officials with a comprehensive understanding of the various

policies, programs, initiatives and partnerships in each of the comparator cities

in relation to the five themes, the consultants conducted 16 on-site interviews

between November 2017 and March 2018. In each case, the consultants spoke

with key participants in economic development activities from the public,

private and post-secondary education sectors, with the focus on concrete

results achieved under each theme and within specific areas of focus (as noted

in boxes, below). The interviewers also sought to identify what worked, what

did not, what needed to change, and the processes the cities followed to

successfully make those changes.

The interviews and subsequent analyses revealed a number of key

characteristics that set the context for how these municipalities responded to

the five themes in collaboration with their business communities and post-

secondary institutions. Among these characteristics, the following are of

importance:

• All six cities experienced or continue to experience high rates of population

growth, often double-digit increases over one or more decades.

• All are experiencing internal demographic changes, and significant internal

migration and immigration to sustain their population growth.

• As a result of high growth rates, all have had to adapt—not always as

successfully as hoped—to challenges related to infrastructure,

transit/regional connections (including airports), employment lands and

housing prices.

• All six cities have large post-secondary institutions (university and college)

within their municipal boundaries signalling by their scale, a longer term

evolution of those institutions within those cities, and changing roles for

those institutions with the municipalities and business communities.

• Each city had plans or had taken actions related to its downtown core.

Moreover, almost all cities had programs or investments in place to further

economic growth in selected neighbourhoods or major parts of the city

beyond the downtown core.

• While all six have varied geography and histories (three are capital cities), all

have diverse economic sectors, with significant initiatives to build and

sustain growth and diversity in culture and the arts.

The following summarizes select key initiatives the cities undertook related to

each of the five key themes, and some of the most significant gaps in

Brampton’s efforts to date, measured against the most common initiatives of

the comparator cities.

Talent and workforce

Officials in the comparator cities recognize the importance of talent attraction,

development and retention for future economic growth, having undertaken

initiatives to develop a pipeline of talent to help meet local workforce demands

and attract new businesses.

Key initiatives

• Establishing focused partnerships with post-secondary educational

institutions and local businesses aimed at attracting and retaining workers.

The City of Surrey established a partnership with Simon Fraser University

and Fraser Health to invest $1 million over three years in Innovation

Boulevard, which supports health technology companies through all stages

of development.

Energy Production and Infrastructure College, a partnership between the

University of North Carolina Charlotte and Duke Energy, ensures that the

talent force and business demands align.

The City of Austin has a strong and lengthy partnership with the University

of Texas Dell Medical Centre to attract talent and ensure that companies

understand the capabilities of the local talent pool.

There is a strong partnership between Columbus Region’s secondary and

post-secondary institutions and local Honda assembly plants. For example,

Honda and Marysville Early College High School introduce students to

advanced manufacturing and STEM fields at a young age.

• Creating initiatives and partnerships that promote employment

opportunities and skills development for workforce expansion in growing

sectors.

Project P.I.E.C.E. identifies labour market shortages in key industries in

Charlotte, and increases employment among those with multiple barriers to

employment, such as youth, visible minorities and the financially

underprivileged.

San Jose’s Workforce Foundation provides intensive case management,

training services, educational programs and supportive services to help

youth secure employment.

How does Brampton compare?

• Brampton has engaged in fewer partnerships targeted at talent attraction

and retention with the business and post-secondary educational sector than

the other cities.

• Brampton has fewer youth employment initiatives than the other cities.

Areas of focus

• Focused partnerships:

Engagement in targeted

partnerships with

educational institutions

and/or local businesses to

develop cohesive industry

programs aimed at talent

attraction and retention.

• Workforce expansion:

Programs/partnerships that

promote employment

opportunities and/or skill

development for local

workforce expansion.

• Youth employment:

Programs promoting

employment opportunities

and/or skill development for

youth.

Investment

Comparator cities facilitate public and private investment in infrastructure,

housing, green space and education to help accelerate productivity, create jobs

and bring a higher standard of living to residents.

Key initiatives

• Identifying strategic target sectors for public and private investments

founded on demonstrated capabilities and asset strengths in the region as

well as future innovation capabilities.

Common growth sectors include information and communications

technology, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and clean technology.

• Creating strategic development plans for infrastructure design/expansion

and urban centre improvements.

The City of Charlotte envisioned “centres” and “corridors” as focus areas for

commercial development, and “wedges”—low-density residential areas—to

accommodate the growing population. Public infrastructure, such as major

roads and rapid transportation, connects the wedges to the centres and

corridors.

• Investing in parks and recreational areas to improve quality of life for

residents and attract new businesses.

The City of Columbus invested US$40-million through a public-private

partnership to transform the Scioto Mile from an aging, neglected civic

resource into a vital network of public green spaces.

Oslo’s urban development vision, the Smart City Strategy, heavily prioritizes

increased public greenery investments.

How does Brampton compare?

• Brampton needs to re-engage with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority to

support the economic development opportunity the city’s proximity to the

airport presents. A major multimodal transit centre serving the western

GTA, currently at the concept stage, could provide Brampton with a

comparative advantage for attracting global companies. None of the

comparator cities disclosed information about similar engagements with

their local airports.

• While having a large number of public parks, Brampton lacks substantial

public and private green infrastructure investments that would, in turn,

generate private investment, compared to the other cities. However,

Riverwalk—including revitalizing downtown Etobicoke Creek and

rehabilitating trails and pathways—is one of the six game changers under

the current Strategic Plan and an important focus of the Brampton 2040

Vision.

Areas of focus

• Strategic sectors: Key local

sectors for investment based

on already demonstrated

capabilities and assets in the

region and/or emerging

opportunities for innovation

based on local strengths of

firms and their assets.

• Transportation and urban

development: Strategic

development plans for

infrastructure expansion/

maintenance and urban centre

improvements.

Innovation and technology

Understanding that the generation of new knowledge and technology is a

driving force for long-term economic growth. Comparator cities create and

promote an environment in which entrepreneurs and innovation can thrive.

Key initiatives

• Establishing focused partnerships with post-secondary educational

institutions and local businesses aimed at supporting entrepreneurship,

innovation and technological commercialization.

Oslo’s StartupLab is a public-private research park that facilitates contacts

between start-ups and clients, leading to more than 1,000 jobs created over

three years.

Austin’s partnership with Dell Medical Centre supports medical

commercialization.

Charlotte’s Innovation Park is a private development project with a 200-acre

campus that houses 7,000 employees.

• Supporting small businesses and start-ups with financial programs that

provide micro-financing at competitive rates (e.g. loans with longer

amortization periods and flexible payment schedules).

Surrey relies heavily on provincial incentives but also seeks to enhance its

existing business outreach program by providing one-stop access to

government services.

The City of Columbus’s Economic Community Development Institute offers

micro loans to businesses, while the incubator “10-Xelerator” is a

mentorship-driven investment program.

How does Brampton compare?

• Brampton has fewer incubators and research labs to support

entrepreneurship and innovation than the other cities.

• Brampton invests less money and resources to actively stimulate innovation

when benchmarked with leaders in this field. The City of Oslo invests more

than CAN$4.2 billion every year in public procurements to develop “smart

city” technologies. Brampton is currently participating in Canada’s Smart

Cities Challenge, with a focus on innovation and technology, including

opportunities for procurement innovations.

Areas of focus

• Focused partnerships:

Engagement in targeted

partnerships with educational

institutions and/or local

businesses to develop

initiatives aimed at supporting

local entrepreneurship,

innovation and technology

commercialization.

• Start-up financing: Established

programs or initiatives that

help small businesses raise

adequate financing (e.g. loans

with longer amortization

periods, flexible payments).

• Public procurement: Proactive

stimulation of innovation via

public procurement of

innovative products and

services (e.g. “smart city”

products, energy efficiency).

Employment lands

Comparator cities recognize the importance of promoting local economic

growth and employment by managing available employment lands for

development.

Key initiatives

• Developing a detailed employment lands strategy that protects and

preserves employment lands to ensure a long-term job supply.

Surrey’s Employment Land Strategy provides a formal set of development

goals and creative solutions to protect employment land and generate

employment growth, in the face of investment competition from the city’s

large urban neighbour, Vancouver.

• Undertaking strategic land-use planning and establishing special economic

development zones to attract private investments and encourage job

creation.

San Jose’s Plan Bay Area 2040 aims to develop efficient transportation

networks and more housing choices that can grow sustainably.

How does Brampton compare?

• Brampton has not always made the protection of employment lands a

priority as the City has grown over time.

• Brampton provides fewer financial incentives compared to the comparator

cities in the U.S. Columbus offers up to a 100-percent exemption on new

property taxes for construction or improvement of new buildings in the

downtown core, and up to 50 percent in income tax rebates for expanding

businesses.*

*The Municipal Act in Ontario restricts the abilities of municipalities to provide the

level of incentives available to U.S. cities.

Areas of focus

• Strategy: Comprehensive

strategy for employment

lands to ensure a long-term

job supply and, more

generally, strategies for

protecting and preserving

employment lands

(e.g. developing a

comprehensive zoning by-

law) for future industrial

development in key sectors

of City focus.

• Investment attraction:

Provision of employment

land investment incentives

designed to encourage job

creation and generate new

investment in key sectors.

• Place-making: Community-

based participation approach

to the City’s planning and

design process for

employment lands and

investment attraction.

Competitiveness

The comparator cities all strive to develop policies, strategies and institutions

that help improve the competitiveness of their cities in order to drive economic

development.

Key initiatives

• Develop an implementation plan for the Economic Development Master

Plan that addresses future goals and how to meet current challenges.

Oslo’s 2025 plan sets out how the city will work to be the world’s most

sustainable and innovative municipality.

• Providing financial incentives to stimulate business attraction and retention.

Austin offers tax credits and attractive rebates to prospective businesses in

the areas of research and development, renewable energy adoption tax

exemptions, and job creation rebates in eligible economic development

zones, as well as property tax abatements and exemptions to encourage

large-scale manufacturing.

• Developing a brand strategy to promote the city and region.

Oslo’s brand management strategy focuses on sustainability (goal of

achieving a rating of 0-0-0 on all environmental impacts) and highly

qualified labour.

How does Brampton compare?

• Brampton has already started to collaborate with local stakeholders to

attract investments in competitive sectors. Charlotte works extensively with

stakeholders from the private sector, universities and cultural groups to

promote development in the urban core.

• Brampton has collaborated with neighbouring cities and regions to leverage

resources and business development activities (e.g. the Toronto Global

partnership and the leading role that Brampton plays in the Advanced

Manufacturing Supercluster).

Areas of focus

• Vision and implementation

plan: Development of a clear

long-term vision and plan to

achieve goals and address

current challenges.

• Financial incentives:

Strategies to enhance

business attraction and

retention (e.g. special

economic investment zones,

community improvement

plans and property tax

abatements).

• City brand strategy:

Development of a clear and

concise brand strategy that

promotes the region’s core

assets to the local population

and a global audience.

A plan

today for

Brampton’s

tomorrow

The need is clear and compelling. To accommodate expected population growth

and develop the economic base to support it, the City of Brampton must

continue to build on its new approach to economic development to achieve

concrete results:

• new and innovative global industries and firms setting up in the city;

• greater innovation in all sectors;

• greater overall business growth;

• more in-city jobs, including those for the growing numbers of newcomers to

Canada and Brampton;

• an agile talent pool that can adapt to shifts in technology and other

economic pressures;

• home-grown capacity for post-secondary training and retraining;

• augmented business retention and expansion investment, as well as an

influx of new funds from outside the city; and

• a larger base of successful entrepreneurs and enhanced opportunities for

entrepreneurship development.

The City cannot pursue economic development of this scale on its own. To

accomplish its long-term economic development goals, the City, members of the

local business community, and representatives of post-secondary institutions

and other partners must come together to develop proactive and joint

measures, and opportunities for collaboration.

The City must be open to having various partners lead economic development

activities, depending upon the priority and on the strength of the partners.

These partnerships, many to be developed and nurtured over time, also need to

be managed within the context of current operating budgets and resources,

while at the same time focusing on key performance metrics such as jobs and

investment.

The City’s ongoing approach to economic development must make more

effective use of both private and public investment in business growth, through

direct investment into projects and activities, supportive trade, immigration and

foreign direct investment policies, and training grants.

The way forward

This is a new vision and mission for economic growth in Brampton, built on

short- and long-term actions for the City and its partners. It lays out three

overarching goals in the areas of innovation, talent and competitiveness.

Success in these areas will see Brampton achieve the level of superior growth

and corresponding business and community capacity it needs to realize the

desired future of the city and its citizens.

This plan aligns with the goals of the City’s Strategic Plan, Brampton 2040 Vision

and Culture Master Plan. In particular, the three overarching goals respond to

needs associated with each of the five themes and the City’s game-changer

initiatives

The goals are grounded in the input of Brampton-based stakeholders and how

they envision a vibrant, healthy city. The analysis of the six comparator cities

informs the goals and proposed actions by underlining the challenges, successes

and growth trends they face, and the similarities and differences to Brampton.

This analysis also emphasizes the importance of City investment and the

necessity of making links between the City, businesses and partners to foster

agile collaboration to meet the imperatives of sustainable growth.

Vision

Brampton is a global leader in innovation, talent, jobs and investment.

Mission

• To create a business community and business climate in Brampton that

supports the creation of more than 140,000 net new local jobs over the next

20 years, with at least 60% of residents working within the community.

• To develop and support vibrant business, education and innovation

ecosystems that generate new investment, new businesses and

entrepreneurs.

• To develop a City that is transformed and provides a living mosaic of

business, culture and diversity to its citizens.

Innovation

Goal: Drive strategies that ignite opportunities to transform Brampton into a

nationally recognized destination for innovation that enhances

entrepreneurship, attracts new domestic and foreign investments, and sparks

the creation of new businesses, products and services.

Short-term actions

• Build momentum in the innovation ecosystem across all sectors including

Entrepreneurship, Health and Life Sciences, Innovation and Technology,

Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Tech and Logistics.

• Launch a City-led incubator and co-working space to enhance

entrepreneurship, attract new investment, spark innovation and create new

businesses. Start-ups will have access to programming, mentorship,

networking and resources that are fundamental to growing a business in a

technology-driven marketplace.

• Build strong relationships with the Brampton business community to

maximize the innovation benefits of the new Ryerson-Sheridan campus and

other post-secondary institutions to build competitiveness and innovation.

• Partner with the Brampton business community to secure additional

funding for the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster to achieve

heightened innovation and attraction of talent and global business.

• Evaluate and assess the support services available for technology

entrepreneurs in Brampton to identify gaps (e.g., campus linked accelerator)

and determine how post-secondary institutions (e.g., Ryerson, Sheridan)

and the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs partners can provide needed

services.

Long-term actions

• Build an innovation team within the economic development office, and in

partnership with Ryerson and Sheridan, to foster a culture of innovation

within the city. Directly connected to Brampton’s 2040 Vision, this team will

champion the creation of a City Innovation office.

• Work with strategic partners in building a platform to encourage the

piloting of new technologies within Brampton.

• Leverage new and existing partnerships to successfully transition the pilot

incubation and co-working space into a leading innovation hub for

technology businesses.

Talent

Goal: Establish Brampton as a national leader for attracting, developing and

retaining new jobs and talent for the workplaces of tomorrow.

Short-term actions

• Build on new and existing business partnerships that support talent

development initiatives across all sectors (Health and Life Sciences,

Innovation and Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Tech, Logistics

and Creative Industries) for youth, newcomers and entrepreneurs.

• Create a Business Talent Task Force, working with representatives from

secondary schools, non-profit organizations, businesses and post-secondary

institutions to implement talent development/retention action plans.

Engagement with youth and newcomers will be the priority.

• Work with the Culture team to build a culturally vibrant community and a

strong sense of place in Brampton. Elevating the quality of life is key to

attract and retain the brightest and best talent to Brampton. This initiative

will support the Culture MasterPlan and Brampton’s 2040 Vision that in

2040, Brampton will support a mosaic of artistic expression and production.

• Continue to build and work on the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster

Initiative, implementing a talent development proposal targeting company

management and staff. The proposal will also include a plan to attract the

next generation of manufacturing workers.

• Launch an online business networking and mentoring platform to give

Brampton youth and newcomers opportunities to build new business

relationships and to foster inclusion.

Long-term actions

• Collaborate with Brampton’s post-secondary institutions to create, facilitate

and lead opportunities for new experiential learning and talent

development across all sectors.

• Partner with the business community, post-secondary institutions and

federal and provincial governments to establish programs to attract foreign

talent and skills to meet the unique needs of Brampton businesses, non-

profit organizations and entrepreneurs.

• Implement a Business Talent Task Force to develop retraining and reskilling

talent programs to meet changing business and technology needs across all

sectors.

Competitiveness and Investment

Goal: Build and sustain a globally distinct and competitive urban City of

Brampton

Short-term actions

• Develop and implement an Investment Attraction Strategy, grounded in

Brampton’s 2040 Vision and focused on select global markets.

• Create a Jobs and Investment Group with business leaders from within and

outside Brampton, entrepreneurs, post-secondary institutions and other

influencers to implement new approaches to drive job growth, innovation

and investment across Brampton.

• Initiate immediate outreach to the Greater Toronto Airport Authority to

focus on job and investment creation for the transportation and logistics

sector and related industries. Brampton needs to be a significant partner as

the airport becomes a top-tier global hub.

• Develop City policies and programs using financial and non-financial

incentives to achieve job and investment growth in high priority sectors and

areas.

• Continue to work with transit to ensure strong connections to business

needs, for both job growth within and for business attraction.

• Working with Osler Health System, Central West Local Health Integration

Network, health and life sciences companies, and MaRs, Brampton will lead

an action plan to build, market and grow the “Medical Zone” in the

downtown / central area of the City. This will create an ecosystem of health-

related companies, health professionals supporting the hospitals (both the

new Peel Memorial Centre, as well as the new third hospital) and related

laboratories in Brampton.

• Continue to provide expedited, one-on-one services to guide developers

and investors through the development process to facilitate jobs and

investment.

• Work in partnership with the Culture team to champion the development of

the Creative Economy, driving the success of the Culture Master Plan. A

culturally vibrant community is critical in attracting knowledge workers and

companies to Brampton.

• Strengthen arts and culture in Brampton by facilitating connections to the

business community, developing opportunities for investment and support

of culture.

Long-term actions

• Build on new and existing collaborations and investments to implement the

Brampton 2040 Vision;

o For the downtown to become a hub for culture, diversity, education

and innovation, and health and life sciences;

o Invest in a global design process and competition for the Uptown

area to bring international awareness and attract investment; and

o Work with a cross-departmental team and key business partners to

develop and implement plans, products, marketing and sales

activities for the proposed Uptown Centre and Bramalea

redevelopment.

• Support the creation of a city-wide branding initiative, incorporating arts

and culture, to complement the Investment Attraction Strategy.

• Implement a comprehensive strategy to successfully realize higher value

uses and investments in Brampton’s employment lands.

• Build on work with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, and with other

municipal partners to develop East Brampton into a new global innovation

and investment cluster for transportation and logistics sectors.

• Create a position in Economic Development that drives and supports

business growth in the creative industries.

• Work with Culture team to develop an arts and entertainment business

investment strategy to attract, enhance, and retain creative cultural assets

to support a culturally vibrant, tourism-friendly community.

Next steps

• Develop robust and relevant performance metrics measuring job creation,

new business development, investment, and innovation and

entrepreneurship.

• Prepare proposals for discussion with Council on how best to respond to

any significant changes in economic and business conditions (positive or

negative), including adjusting the performance metrics, as required.

• Define the role of key stakeholders and partners in various proposed

collaboration initiatives.

• Develop and implement a communications plan.

The Economic Development and Culture Department will spearhead regular

outreach by the City, business leaders or associations, post-secondary

institutions and Council to the comparator cities. These outreach initiatives will

monitor economic development activities, challenges and successes, expanding

mutual learning opportunities and capitalizing on best practices for improving

sustained economic growth over the next two decades.

The aspirational goals set out in this plan are based on solid analysis and

feedback from key stakeholders. They build on the City’s sector-focused,

streamlined approach to delivering economic development services in support

of Council’s direction on generating jobs and investment in key sectors.

This Economic Development Master Plan recommends measurable and

reportable actions and investments, delivered in the context of assigned

budgets and resources. Ultimately, it can deliver new local jobs and economic

growth, spur innovation and entrepreneurship, and provide a living mosaic of

business, culture and diversity for Brampton citizens.

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Appendix B:

Analysis for

Economic

Development

Master Plan:

Final

consultant’s

report

The bibliography that follows is divided into two sections: The first section contains sources of

information reported in the Final Report to the City of Brampton as it relates to the comparator cities’

key initiatives on the five key themes – Talent/Workforce, Investment, Innovation and Technology,

Employment Land, and Competitiveness. The second section contains sources of information as it relates

to the comparator cities’ initiatives on the six Game Changers – Regional Connections, Urban Centre,

University, Health Partnerships, Planning Vision, and Riverwalk. The sources comprise of information

obtained by on-site stakeholder interviews for each comparator city as well as publicly available sources

to verify and detail the information obtained from these interview discussions.

Initiatives on Key Themes

Surrey

Talent/Workforce

[1] The Innovation Boulevard: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and Simon Fraser University as well as publicly available sources, e.g. City of

Surrey’s 2016 Annual Report (URL: https://www.surrey.ca/files/Annual_Report_2016_Web.pdf) and

the Innovation Boulevard’s webpage (URL: http://www.innovationboulevard.ca/).

[2] International Cities of Refuge Network: Based on interview discussions with members of the

Kwantlen Polytechnic University and publicly available sources, e.g. International Cities of Refuge

Network webpage (URL: https://www.icorn.org/about-icorn).

Investment

[3] Sector Focus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group.

[4] Transportation Development: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. the city of Surrey’s 2016 Annual Report (URL:

https://www.surrey.ca/files/Annual_Report_2016_Web.pdf) and Summary Reports from

Vancouver’s regional transportation authority, TransLink.

Innovation and Technology

[5] The Innovation Boulevard: See reference [1]

[6] Clean Energy Hub: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Surrey’s Clean Energy Sector Profile

Report (URL: http://www.surrey.ca/files/10434CleanEnergySectorProfileLOWRES.pdf).

[7] Start-up financing: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group.

Employment Land

[8] Employment Land Strategy: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. the report Employment Lands Strategy

Surrey, British Columbia (URL: https://www.surrey.ca/files/Employment_Lands.pdf).

Competitiveness

[9] Vision: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group and

publicly available sources, e.g. The City of Surrey Economic Strategy 2017-2027 (URL:

http://www.surrey.ca/files/SurreyEconomicStrategy.pdf) and the City Centre Development Plan

(URL: http://www.surrey.ca/files/CityCentreBrochure.pdf).

[10] Financial Incentives: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. The City of Surrey Investment Opportunities

(URL: http://www.surrey.ca/files/Surrey_Investment_Opportunities.pdf).

San Jose

Talent/Workforce

[11] Focused Partnerships: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Director Office and

Economic Development group as well as publicly available sources, e.g. Silicon Valley Talent

Partnership’ webpage (URL: http://svtpca.org) and partnership announcements such “Feeding

Silicon Valley” (URL: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/68314) and “Rafiki” (URL:

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/documentcenter/view/62642).

[12] Initiatives on Workforce Expansion: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s

Director Office and Economic Development group as well as publicly available sources, e.g.

Work2future’s webpage (URL: http://www.work2future.biz/) and the Workforce Innovation and

Opportunity Act San José Silicon Valley Workforce Investment Network Local Plan Program Years

2017-2020 (URL: https://cwdb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2017/04/work2future-Exec-

Summary_Local_Plan.pdf).

Investment

[13] Sector Focus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Director Office and

Economic Development group.

[14] Transportation Development: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Director

Office and Economic Development group as well as publicly available sources, e.g. The City of San

Jose 2017 Annual Report (URL: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/72245).

Innovation and Technology

[15] Office of Civic Innovation: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Director Office

and Economic Development group as well as publicly available sources, e.g. The City of San Jose

Office of Civic Innovation webpage (URL: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=5188).

[16] Business Incubator Programs: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Director

Office and Economic Development group as well as publicly available sources, e.g. The City of San

Jose Business Incubator Program webpage (URL: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?nid=874).

Employment Land

[17] Employment Land Strategy: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. Envision San Jose 2040 (URL:

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/474), San Jose Market Overview and

Employment Lands Analysis (URL: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/53472),

History of Employment Land Conversions in San José and the Fiscal Impact of Land Use (URL:

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/43609), and Framework for Preservation of

Employment Land (URL: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/414)

[18] Plan Bay Area 2040: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Director Office and

Economic Development group as well as publicly available sources, e.g. City of San Jose Priority

Development Areas (URL: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=2041) and Plan Bay Area

2040’s webpage (URL: https://www.planbayarea.org/).

[19] Place-Making / Easy Urbanism: Based on interview discussions with members of the Economic

Development group as well as publicly available sources, e.g. The City of San Jose Planning Division’s

partnership on design approaches such as “Using Art to Engage” and “Sidewalk Café” (URL:

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=5279).

Competitiveness

[20] Vision: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. Envision San Jose 2040 (URL:

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/474).

[21] Financial Incentives: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of San Jose Economic Development

webpage (URL: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=870).

[22] City Brand: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group.

Austin

Talent/Workforce

[23] Focused Partnerships: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and University of Texas as well as publicly available sources, e.g. City of Austin

2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (URL:

https://assets.austintexas.gov/financeonline/downloads/cafr/cafr2017.pdf).

[24] Initiatives on workforce expansion: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s

Economic Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. Imagine Austin Year 5 Progress

Report (URL: http://www.austintexas.gov/imagineaustin/progressreport) and City of Austin’s

Human Resources Department webpage (URL: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/workforce-

solutions-capital-area-north)

Investment

[25] Sector Focus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group.

[26] Transportation Development: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Austin 2017 Comprehensive Annual

Financial Report (URL: https://assets.austintexas.gov/financeonline/downloads/cafr/cafr2017.pdf).

[27] Invest in Austin: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Austin’s Economic Development Department

webpage (URL: http://www.austintexas.gov/investinaustin).

Innovation and Technology

[28] Innovation Office: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Austin’s Economic Development

Department 2016 Strategic Economic Plan (URL:

https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/EGRSO/EDD_Strategic_Economic_Plan_2016_No_Ap

pendix.pdf) and the Innovation Office webpage (URL:

http://www.austintexas.gov/department/innovation-office-programs).

[29] Small Business Division: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Austin’s Small Business Division

webpage (URL: https://austintexas.gov/department/small-business-program).

[30] Incubators: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group and University of Texas as well as publicly available sources, e.g. City of Austin’s Economic

Development Department 2016 Strategic Economic Plan (URL:

https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/EGRSO/EDD_Strategic_Economic_Plan_2016_No_Ap

pendix.pdf) and Austin Technology Incubator’s webpage (URL: https://ati.utexas.edu/).

[31] Innovation at University of Texas’ Dell Medical School: Based on interview discussions with

members of the city’s Economic Development group and University of Texas as well as publicly

available sources, e.g. Dell Medical School’s Health Product Innovation webpage (URL:

https://dellmed.utexas.edu/health-product-innovation).

Employment Land

[32] Employment Land Strategy and Challenges: Based on interview discussions with members of the

city’s Economic Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Austin’s Planning and

Zoning Division webpage (URL: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/planning-and-zoning)

Competitiveness

[33] Vision: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. (URL: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/imagine-austin)

[34] Financial Incentives: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Austin’s Global Business Expansion

Division webpage (URL: http://austintexas.gov/department/economic-development-division).

[35] Brand Strategy: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group.

Charlotte

Talent/Workforce

[36] Focused Partnership: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and University of North Carolina as well as publicly available sources, e.g.

University of North Carolina’s Energy Production & Infrastructure Center webpage (URL:

https://epic.uncc.edu/about/overview).

[37] Initiatives on Workforce Expansion: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s

Economic Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Charlotte’s Economic

Development Department webpage (URL:

http://charlottenc.gov/ED/Workforce/Pages/default.aspx).

Investment

[38] Sector Focus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group.

[39] Strategic Urban Planning: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Charlotte’s Planning Division

webpage (URL:

http://charlottenc.gov/planning/AreaPlanning/CentersCorridorsWedges/Pages/Home.aspx)

Innovation and Technology

[40] Applied Innovation Corridor: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. a draft report of Charlotte Center City 2020

Vision Plan (URL:

https://www.mecknc.gov/OpenMecklenburg/Documents/CenterCityVision2020.pdf).

[41] Innovation Park: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group and publicly available sources, e.g. Innovation Park webpage (URL:

https://innovationparknc.com/)

Employment Land

[42] Employment Land Strategy: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Charlotte Compressive Annual

Financial Report (URL: http://charlottenc.gov/mfs/finance/publications/FY17_CAFR.pdf) and the

city’s Transit Planning webpage (URL: http://charlottenc.gov/cats/transit-planning/Pages/land-

use.aspx).

Competitiveness

[43] Vision: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. a draft report of Charlotte Center City 2020 Vision Plan (URL:

https://www.mecknc.gov/OpenMecklenburg/Documents/CenterCityVision2020.pdf).

[44] Financial Incentives: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. Charlotte Chamber Economic Development

Incentives Summary (URL:

https://charlottechamber.com/clientuploads/Economic_pdfs/charlotte_incentives.pdf).

[45] Focused Partnerships: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. Charlotte Center City Partners webpage

(URL: https://www.charlottecentercity.org/) and Charlotte Regional Partnership webpage (URL:

https://www.charlotteusa.com/).

[46] City Brand: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group and publicly available sources, e.g. Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority webpage (URL:

http://www.crva.com/).

Columbus

Talent/Workforce

[47] Focused Partnership: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group, Columbus 2020 and Ohio State University as well as publicly available sources,

e.g. Columbus 2020 (URL: http://columbusregion.com/columbus-2020/), SciTech partnership’s

webpage (URL: http://www.stcc.org/) and The Ohio State University’s Corporate Engagement Office

webpage (URL: https://www.osu.edu/initiatives/corporate-engagement/).

[48] Initiatives on Workforce Expansion: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s

Economic Development group and Columbus 2020 as well as publicly available sources, e.g.

Government of Ohio’s Office of Workforce Development webpage (URL:

http://jfs.ohio.gov/owd/index.stm) and Somali Community Association of Ohio (URL:

http://www.somaliohio.org/).

[49] Automotive Manufacturing: Based on publicly available sources, e.g. The Columbus Region’s

Automotive Manufacturing Industry Spotlight (URL:

http://columbusregion.com/industries/automotive/).

Investment

[50] Sector Focus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group.

[51] Transportation Development: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and Columbus 2020 as well as publicly available sources, e.g. City of Columbus

Economic Development webpage (URL: https://www.columbus.gov/development/economic-

development/Infrastructure-Improvement/) City of Columbus Urban Infrastructure Recovery Fund

webpage (URL: https://www.columbus.gov/planning/uirf/)

[52] Urban Development: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and Columbus 2020 as well as publicly available sources, e.g. Columbus

Recreation and Parks Department’s Scioto Mile webpage (URL: http://www.sciotomile.com/).

Innovation and Technology

[53] U.S. Smart City Challenge: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and Columbus 2020 as well as publicly available sources, e.g. U.S. Department

of Transportation webpage (URL: https://cms.dot.gov/smartcity/winner) and City of Columbus

Smart Columbus webpage (URL: https://www.columbus.gov/smartcolumbus/).

[54] Start-up Financing: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Columbus Economic Development

Department’s Small Business Services (URL: https://www.columbus.gov/development/economic-

development/Small-Business/) and The 10Xelerator webpage (URL:

http://10xelerator.com/accelerator/).

Employment Land

[55] Employment Land Strategy: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Columbus Department of

Development webpage (URL: https://www.columbus.gov/Development/).

Competitiveness

[56] Vision: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. Columbus Downtown Development Corporation webpage (URL:

http://www.columbusddc.com/)

[57] Financial Incentives: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Columbus Economic Development

Department’s Downtown Business Incentives (URL:

https://www.columbus.gov/development/economic-development/Downtown-Business-

Incentives/).

[58] Columbus 2020 Global trade and investment plan: http://columbusregion.com/news-events/press-

releases/columbus-2020-unveils-global-trade-and-investment-plan/

Oslo

Talent/Workforce

[59] Focused Partnerships: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group, University of Oslo, and BI Norwegian Business School as well as publicly

available sources, e.g. University of Oslo’s “UiOs samarbeid med Oslo kommune – status,

målsetninger og prioriteringer“ Report [English translation: “University of Oslo’s partnership with

the city of Oslo – Status, objectives and priorities”] (URL:

https://www.uio.no/om/organisasjon/styret/moter/2017/3/o-sak-5-uios-samarbeid-med-oslo-

kommune---status-malsetninger-og-prioriteringer.pdf).

[60] Initiatives on Workforce Expansion: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s

Economic Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. “Arbeids- og

velferdsforvaltningen” [English translation: “Job and Welfare Department”] (URL:

https://www.nav.no/).

Investment

[61] Sector Focus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group.

[62] Transportation Development: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. “National Transport Plan 2018-2019” English

Summary (URL:

https://www.ntp.dep.no/English/_attachment/1525049/binary/1132766?_ts=1571e02a3c0) and

“Regional plan for areal og transport i Olso og Akerhus” [in Norwegian] (URL:

http://www.akershus.no/file/01909d1ab7bf83209749f91e8e2f9e4f/Regional%20plan%20for%20are

al%20og%20transport%20i%20Oslo%20og%20Akershus).

[63] Urban Development: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Oslo’s “Planstrategi for Oslo 2016-

2019” [English translation: “Strategic Plan for Oslo 2016-2019”, document in Norwegian](URL:

https://www.oslo.kommune.no/getfile.php/13177938/Innhold/Politikk%20og%20administrasjon/Po

litikk/Kommuneplan/Planstrategi%20vedtatt%20bystyret%20141216-web.pdf)

Innovation and Technology

[64] Incubators and Innovation Hubs: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s

Economic Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. StartupLab webpage (URL:

http://startuplab.no/), Norway Health Tech webpage (URL: http://www.norwayhealthtech.com/),

Oslo Cancer Research Center webpage (URL: https://www.ous-research.no/institute/), MESH

webpage (URL: http://www.meshnorway.com/), Tøyen Startup Village (URL:

http://www.toyenstartupvillage.no/).

[65] Public Procurements: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. Oslo Smart City webpage (URL:

https://www.oslo.kommune.no/english/politics-and-administration/smart-oslo/) abd Oslo Smart

City Accelerator webpage (URL: http://smartosloaccelerator.no/).

[66] Regional Plan for Innovation: See document via webpage

http://www.akershus.no/ansvarsomrader/neringsutvikling/neringsutvikling/regional-plan-for-

innovasjon-og-nyskaping/. Direct link to the publication [in Norwegian]

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwi6speBrPHZA

hWInlMKHZniDqsQFggzMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.akershus.no%2Ffile%2F0295cf6232c398c4d

3c477248c991e31%2FH%25C3%25B8ringsforslag%2520Regional%2520plan%2520for%2520innovasj

on%2520og%2520nyskapning%2520web%2F&usg=AOvVaw2Ei6SdexKFIRf_bQ2iH0H3.

Employment Land

[67] Employment Land Strategy: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Oslo’s “Planstrategi for Oslo 2016-

2019” [English translation: “Strategic Plan for Oslo 2016-2019”, document in Norwegian](URL:

https://www.oslo.kommune.no/getfile.php/13177938/Innhold/Politikk%20og%20administrasjon/Po

litikk/Kommuneplan/Planstrategi%20vedtatt%20bystyret%20141216-web.pdf)

Competitiveness

[68] Vision: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. City of Oslo’s “Planstrategi for Oslo 2016-2019” [English

translation: “Strategic Plan for Oslo 2016-2019”, document in Norwegian](URL:

https://www.oslo.kommune.no/getfile.php/13177938/Innhold/Politikk%20og%20administrasjon/Po

litikk/Kommuneplan/Planstrategi%20vedtatt%20bystyret%20141216-web.pdf)

[69] Financial Incentives: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic

Development group and publicly available sources, e.g. EY’s Worldwide R&D incentives reference

guide (URL: http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-worldwide-randd-incentives-reference-

guide/$FILE/EY-worldwide-randd-incentives-reference-guide.pdf).

[70] Brand Strategy: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development

group and publicly available sources, e.g. The Oslo Region Brand Management Strategy (URL:

http://www.oslobusinessregion.no/the-oslo-region-brand-management-strategy-2/).

Initiatives on Game Changers

Regional Connections

[71] Surrey: See reference [4].

[72] San Jose: See reference [14].

[73] Austin: See reference [26].

[74] Charlotte: See reference [39].

[75] Columbus: See reference [51].

[76] Oslo: See reference [62].

Urban Centre

[77] Surrey: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. Surrey City Centre Plan (URL:

http://www.surrey.ca/files/City%20Centre%20Plan%20without%20Appendices.pdf) and Surrey

Planning and Development webpage (URL: http://www.surrey.ca/city-government/645.aspx).

[78] San Jose: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. Envision San Jose 2040 (URL:

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/474).

[79] Austin: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. Imagine Austin Year 5 Progress Report (URL:

http://www.austintexas.gov/imagineaustin/progressreport)

[80] Charlotte: See reference [39].

[81] Columbus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and reference [52] above as well as publicly available sources, e.g. Columbus Commons webpage

(URL: http://www.columbuscommons.org/).

[82] See reference [63].

Universities

[83] Surrey: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and Simon Fraser University.

[84] San Jose: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. CommUniverCity webpage (URL: http://cucsj.org/).

[85] Austin: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and University of Texas.

[86] Charlotte: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and University of North Carolina Charlotte. See also reference [36].

[87] Columbus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and Ohio State University. See also references within reference [47].

[88] Oslo: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group,

University of Oslo and BI Norwegian Business School. See also reference [59].

Health Partnerships

[89] Surrey: See reference [1].

[90] San Jose: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group.

[91] Austin: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and University of Texas as well as publicly available sources, e.g. Dell Medical School’s Health

Product Innovation webpage (URL: https://dellmed.utexas.edu/health-product-innovation) and

(URL: https://www.seton.net/)

[92] Charlotte: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

[93] Columbus: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group

and publicly available sources, e.g. CelebrateOne Administration webpage (URL:

http://celebrateone.info/).

[94] Oslo: Based on interview discussions with members of the city’s Economic Development group and

publicly available sources, e.g. Norway Health Tech webpage (URL:

http://www.norwayhealthtech.com/).

Planning Vision

[95] Surrey: See reference [9].

[96] San Jose: See reference [20].

[97] Austin: See reference [33].

[98] Charlotte: See reference [43].

[99] Columbus: See reference [56].

[100] Oslo: See reference [68].

Riverwalk

[101] Surrey: Based on City of Surrey’s Parks Recreation & Culture Strategic Plan webpage (URL:

http://www.surrey.ca/culture-recreation/3096.aspx).

[102] San Jose: Based on the City of San Jose Parks, Recreation Facilities & Trails Department’s

Greenprint Vision (URL: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=560).

[103] Austin: Based on City of Austin’s partnership with Waller Creek Conservatory on revitalizing the

Waller Creek. See documentation from Waller Creek Conservatory webpage (URL:

https://www.wallercreek.org/).

[104] Charlotte: Based on Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Comprehensive 10-year Master

Plan (URL:

https://www.mecknc.gov/ParkandRec/Parks/ParkPlanning/Documents/Master%20Plan%202014/M

ecklenburg%20County,%20NC%20PR%20Master%20Plan%20Update%20FINAL.pdf).

[105] Columbus: See reference [52].

[106] Oslo: Based publicly available sources on the City of Oslo’s “Havnepromonaden” (URL:

https://www.oslo.kommune.no/politikk-og-administrasjon/slik-bygger-vi-

oslo/fjordbyen/havnepromenaden/#gref).