Urban Economic Innovation Lab – Researching Economic Alternatives for Inner City Neighbourhoods

Vancouver’s inner city is experiencing disproportionate levels of poverty and is under strong development pressure, with concern that few of the associated benefits are being captured by local communities and economies. An appetite exists for innovation in economic development but current community capacity to explore and support these ideas is limited. RADIUS SFU and Ecotrust Canada are developing a social innovation lab methodology and framework that works with community to design, test and launch new approaches to sustainable economic development. The Lab itself is an iterative process, receiving continuous feedback from interns and participants to help refine the methodologies to best fit the context. In a rapidly urbanizing world this becomes a useful asset to Ecotrust to lead in this type of work, Canada as the country grapples with these urban economic development challenges, and the world as we learn and share what works.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sarah Lubik;Thomas Hutton;Sean Geobey;Amy Hanser;Penelope Gurstein;Evert Lindquist

Student:

Partner:

Ecotrust Canada

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Sustainability & the Environment; Commercial Services

University:

Simon Fraser University; The University of British Columbia; University of Victoria; University of Waterloo

Program: