Building the Creative Rural EconomyThe View from AGRG

Dr. Bob Maher

Senior Research Scientist,

Applied Geomatics Research Group (AGRG)

Middleton NS

Annapolis Royal March 2009

www.NovaScotiaCAN.ca

John Howkins: the Creative Economy

He suggests several sectors generate creative products. These include: advertising, architecture, art , crafts, design, fashion, film, music, performing arts, publishing, scientific research and development, software, toys and games, TV, radio and video games.

Ref: Creative Economy: how people make money from ideas 2001, pg 4

• Design London is a €6 million joint effort of the Royal College of Art and Design and Imperial College London`s Faculty of Engineering and Business School. It was developed in response to the Cox Review`s call for greater collaboration among science, engineering, business and creative design as a necessary boost for lagging innovation in the UK economy.

Pg. 18

MaRS

• MaRS is a convergence and MaRS is a convergence and innovation centre in Toronto that innovation centre in Toronto that fosters collaboration between fosters collaboration between communities of science, business, communities of science, business, and finance through the physical and finance through the physical collocation of structured networks.collocation of structured networks.

Pg 19

• ‘Mapping is a very deliberate form of narration….. one of the important things to decide is what`s going to be on it, what`s the story you want to tell and how to tell that story’

• David Carruthers, President of PlanLab from CBC Ideas. Unfolding Visions

David Carruthers

• The science of exploration is based on mapping. Modern maps have functioned as a mechanism for systematic exploitation of other lands and people. Charles Simpson argues………………………………………………..

Charles Simpson

Simpson C R. 1992 Mapping an Extreme Landscape in J. Kleis & B. Butterfield (ed). Renaming the Landscape

Charles Simpson

• The mapping activity itself is a ritual of taking possession. It includes marking boundaries, recording and naming topographic features, and fragmenting a fluid landscape of human and animal vitality of life forces passing from nature to people and from generation to generation- into an abstract configuration of spatial coordinates and the domains of discrete sciences.

Simpson, 1992 pg 195-6Ref. Michael McGinnis (ed) 1999 Bioregionalism

Creative Rural Economy

Prince Edward County, contains 4 waves of economic prospects

• Barley Day 1860-1890

• Dairy – 27 Cheese factories

• Garden of Canada - 4O canning factories 1950-1980

• Creative Rural Economy

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Prince Edward County

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Prince Edward County

• 2004 Economic Development Strategy

• ‘Zero competitive advantage’

• Quality of Place – primary economic asset

• Four pillars – Culture– Tourism– Agricultural (specialized)– Business and commerce

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Economic Impacts

• Tourism visits up 74% ; spending up 168%. • Property Assessment - up ¾ of a $1 billion • $20-$30 million investment - Picton downtown • Population

– Decline (2001 census)– Rising 2% (2006)

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Economic Impacts

• $45 million in wine industry investment (over 7 years)

• $50M-$85 million in wine sales 5-7 years out – Doubling agricultural GDP

• Building permits up 300% over 7 years. – Booming construction industry

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Cultural Strategic Plan

• Multi-stakeholder Steering Group

• Cultural resource mapping

• Community identity mapping

• Community engagement

• Council adoption

• Cultural Roundtable and implementation

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Innovation

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Cultural Mapping – Two Kinds

Cultural Mapping

Resource Mapping‘Tangibles’

Identity Mapping

‘Intangibles’

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Cultural Resources

Natural Heritag

e

Natural Heritag

e

Cultural Heritage Cultural

Heritage

Cultural Facilities Cultural Facilities

Non-Profit Cultural

Organizations

Non-Profit Cultural

Organizations

Cultural Businesse

s

Cultural Businesse

s

Creative IndustriesCreative Industries

Festivals and

Events

Festivals and

Events

Resource Mapping

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

The Story So Far

• July 2008 - Visit by Brian Arnott to AGRG

• Sept. - Novita submit proposal to Town of Lunenburg includes cultural

mapping

• Dec. - Greg Baeker submits proposal to Creative Muskoka

• Feb. 2009- Visit to Fernie, Toronto, MaRS

• Mar - Annapolis Royal – this venue

At the Local Level

1. Community Mapping: Port George

2. Cultural Mapping: Annapolis Royal

3. ADEDA: biomass supply

4. MTRI: Lake Atlas

Community Identity Mapping

• Stories are the DNA of culture • What defines this place?

– Images– Places– Stories– Unique quality of life

• Narrative of culture and place • Authenticity and collective memory

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity

Invite the community to share their favourites…

Help people tell local stories…

Ref. Dr. Greg Baeker, Senior Consultant with AuthentiCity