The IPL newsletter: Volume 8, Issue 161

INTRODUCTION

This newsletter is published by The Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, and sponsored by the Ministry of Research and Innovation. The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Ontario Government.

Presentations from the Annual Joint ONRIS/MRI Workshop

These presentations outline the status of research of the Ontario members of the Innovation Research Network (ISRN) City-Region Initiative. Presentations cover Ontario city-regions as well as the three thematic areas

Learning Cities: Optimizing Economic and Social Well-Being

Canadian Council on Learning Cities are a magnet for Canadians and immigrants, who stream into them in ever-increasing numbers. The swelling population of urban centres—now home to 80% of Canada’s citizens—reflects the economic, educational and cultural opportunities offered by cities. At the crossroads of people, ideas, and capital, cities are the engine of innovation, knowledge and national prosperity. But Canadian cities currently face a number of important challenges, including: income inequality, integration of newcomers, maintenance of social cohesion, and civic engagement.

Economic disparities are growing in Canada. In 1984, families in the top 10 wealth percentiles held 52% of all Canadian household wealth: by 2005, they held 58%. The polarization of wealth—and the attendant social fracturing that accompanies it—is a widespread phenomenon around the world. In response to this situation, many European and Australian cities and towns have taken steps to become learning cities where “lifelong learning is explicitly used as an organizing principle and social/cultural goal to foster safer, healthier, more inclusive, better educated and creative cities.”

One approach to managing the opportunities and challenges of the modern city is the creation of Learning Cities. Pioneered in Europe and Australia, this strategy recognizes that optimal social and financial well-being occurs under conditions that favour lifelong learning for all. Learning Cities embrace an understanding of learning as multi-dimensional and comprehensive; they devise ways of bringing learning and people together, in order to develop the social and economic fabric of the community. Learning cities that have emerged in Europe and Australia have adopted some common principles:

• Learning is both an individual and collective responsibility;
• Social harmony and economic prosperity are key over-arching goals in identifying collective learning goals and projects that will benefit the city residents;
• Learning is defined broadly, and is accomplished by working with a wide range of partners, both formal and informal;
• Innovation is embraced;
• Learning projects are identified and implemented through consultation and collaboration among the general public, community groups, educational institutions, unions, cultural organizations, advocacy groups, and employers;
• Learning should be readily accessible regardless of financial circumstances or education;
• Learning should be inclusive and respectful of diversity;
• Learning projects are subject to evaluation.

The Learning Cities movement is beginning to take root in Canada. In 2003, Victoria began the process of becoming a learning city with the goal of being known, by 2020, as “a leading learning community.” In service of this goal, Victoria has identified a number of specific objectives to transform downtown Victoria into a Place of Learning by 2020. These include:

• Quality early childhood learning for the children of downtown workers and residents
• Individual learning plans for at least half of downtown workers
• Elder college participation among at least half of downtown seniors
• Increased cross-sector initiatives related to the arts and learning
• A two-fold increase in educational tourism.

In June 2006, Vancouver designated itself a Learning City and embraced the following principles: equitable access to learning, inclusivity and collaboration—all seen as essential precursors to greater prosperity and collective well-being. An ambitious Lifelong Learning Strategy supports Vancouver’s aspirations to be a Learning City. This document is the product of collaboration among a wide range of civic, educational and community organizations; the general public also had a voice in shaping the strategy, through focus groups and public meetings. The desired outcomes established in the Strategy are intended to contribute to the city’s “triple bottom line,” i.e., its social, economic and environmental health] and include:

• Enhanced access to learning opportunities for at-risk, disadvantaged and marginalized community members and groups;
• Higher enrolment and completion rates for students at all levels;
• Higher rates of literacy and numeracy;
• Increased access to and use of learning technologies;
• Greater citizen engagement and social inclusion;
• Increased recognition and support for Aboriginal and ethnic communities and their rich culture of learning;
• More collaboration among educators and trainers—the creation of a seamless system;
• Stronger partnerships between business, labour and education

As more cities adopt their own learning cities strategies, they can benefit from the lessons learned in other communities. Researchers have identified three key areas that require attention in creating optimal conditions for the success of a new learning city.

1. Partnership. It is crucial to build real partnerships between all sectors (civic, economic, educational, public and voluntary) and to mobilize their shared resources.
2. Participation. A successful learning city must foster conditions in which citizens increase their participation in lifelong learning, but learning cities must first ensure that their citizens participate in the process of policy development for learning city initiatives.
3. Performance. Learning cities must learn to assess their progress, document good practice, and measure impact.

The increasing popularity and ostensible success of these strategies in other cities suggest that this is a public policy trend worth monitoring (if not adopting) for the Ontario context.