Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

From Labrador City to Toronto: The Industrial Diversity of Canadian Cities, 1992 to 2002

2007; RELX Group (Netherlands); Linguagem: Inglês

10.2139/ssrn.1427982

1556-5068

Desmond Beckstead, W. Mark Brown,

Regional resilience and development

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the levels and trends in the industrial diversity of Canadian cities over the past ten years (1992-2002), a period of significant structural change in the Canadian economy. Diverse cities are thought to be more stable and provide environments that lead to stronger economic growth. Using detailed establishment level data on businesses from the entire spectrum of small and larger Canadian cities, the study shows that diversity levels vary significantly across cities, with the most populous cities being far more diverse than the least. Although there is a strong positive relationship between diversity and the population of a city, relatively small cities (those with a population around 100,000) can achieve levels of diversity that are near that of the largest urban centres. Consequently, most Canadian's live in relatively diverse urban economic environments. Over time, the level of diversity of Canadian cities has in general increased. This was particularly true of small cities with populations less than 100,000. The largest cities experienced declining diversity levels.