IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/urbstu/v61y2024i3p549-566.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sector connectors, specialists and scrappers: How cities use civic capital to compete in high-technology markets

Author

Listed:
  • Tijs Creutzberg

    (University of Toronto, Canada)

  • Darius Ornston

    (University of Toronto, Canada)

  • David A Wolfe

    (University of Toronto, Canada)

Abstract

This article uses three cities in the same Canadian province (Ontario): Toronto, Ottawa and Waterloo, to examine how regions compete in high-technology markets. We find that regions use civic capital to leverage new, technological windows of opportunity, but they do so in very different ways. Tracing Toronto’s evolution from a marketing hub for foreign multinationals into a centre for entrepreneurship, we illustrate how weak ties and cross-sectoral buzz created a ‘super connector’, scaling high-technology firms in a wide variety of areas. In Ottawa, task-specific cooperation in R&D, education and specialised infrastructure enabled the region to overcome the disadvantages of its small size as a ‘specialist’ in a single, capital-intensive niche, telecommunications equipment. Finally, entrepreneurs in Waterloo eschewed task-specific cooperation for peer-to-peer mentoring. By diffusing generic knowledge about how to circumvent the liabilities of smallness, mentoring networks enabled this ‘scrapper’ city to support smaller start-ups in a broad range of niches.

Suggested Citation

  • Tijs Creutzberg & Darius Ornston & David A Wolfe, 2024. "Sector connectors, specialists and scrappers: How cities use civic capital to compete in high-technology markets," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(3), pages 549-566, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:61:y:2024:i:3:p:549-566
    DOI: 10.1177/00420980231186234
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00420980231186234
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00420980231186234?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Storper & Anthony J. Venables, 2004. "Buzz: face-to-face contact and the urban economy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(4), pages 351-370, August.
    2. Ben Spigel, 2017. "Bourdieu, culture, and the economic geography of practice: entrepreneurial mentorship in Ottawa and Waterloo, Canada," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(2), pages 287-310.
    3. Margarida Madaleno & Max Nathan & Henry Overman & Sevrin Waights, 2022. "Incubators, accelerators and urban economic development," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(2), pages 281-300, February.
    4. Harald Bathelt & Dieter Kogler & Andrew Munro, 2011. "Social Foundations of Regional Innovation and the Role of University Spin-Offs: The Case of Canada's Technology Triangle," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(5), pages 461-486.
    5. Gilles Duranton & Diego Puga, 2000. "Diversity and Specialisation in Cities: Why, Where and When Does it Matter?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 37(3), pages 533-555, March.
    6. Steven Denney & Travis Southin & David A. Wolfe, 2021. "Entrepreneurs and cluster evolution: the transformation of Toronto’s ICT cluster," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(2), pages 196-207, February.
    7. Franz Todtling & Michaela Trippl, 2004. "Like Phoenix from the Ashes? The Renewal of Clusters in Old Industrial Areas," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(5-6), pages 1175-1195, May.
    8. Allison Bramwell & Jen Nelles & David Wolfe, 2008. "Knowledge, Innovation and Institutions: Global and Local Dimensions of the ICT Cluster in Waterloo, Canada," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(1), pages 101-116.
    9. Sharon Zukin, 2021. "Planetary Silicon Valley: Deconstructing New York’s innovation complex," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(1), pages 3-35, January.
    10. David Wachsmuth & Patrick Kilfoil, 2021. "Two logics of regionalism: the development of a regional imaginary in the Toronto–Waterloo Innovation Corridor," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(1), pages 63-76, January.
    11. Darius Ornston, 2021. "How Stories Shape Regional Development: Collective Narratives and High-Technology Entrepreneurship in Waterloo, Canada," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 97(4), pages 390-410, August.
    12. Elizabeth Garnsey & Paul Heffernan, 2005. "High-technology clustering through spin-out and attraction: The Cambridge case," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(8), pages 1127-1144.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ron Martin & Peter Sunley, 2011. "Conceptualizing Cluster Evolution: Beyond the Life Cycle Model?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(10), pages 1299-1318, November.
    2. Justin Doran & Declan Jordan & Eoin O’Leary, 2012. "The effects of the frequency of spatially proximate and distant interaction on innovation by Irish SMEs," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(7-8), pages 705-727, September.
    3. Jan Ženka & Josef Novotný & Ondřej Slach & Igor Ivan, 2017. "Spatial Distribution of Knowledge-Intensive Business Services in a Small Post-Communist Economy," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 8(2), pages 385-406, June.
    4. Donald Houston & Darja Reuschke, 2017. "City economies and microbusiness growth," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(14), pages 3199-3217, November.
    5. Thomas de Graaff & Frank G. van Oort & Raymond J.G.M. Florax, 2012. "Regional Population–Employment Dynamics Across Different Sectors Of The Economy," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 60-84, February.
    6. Wedemeier, Jan, 2009. "Creative cities and the concept of diversity," HWWI Research Papers 1-20, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI).
    7. Mitchell, Matt & Farren, Michael & Gonzalez, Olivia & Horpedahl, Jeremy, 2019. "The Economics of a Targeted Economic Development Subsidy," Annals of Computational Economics, George Mason University, Mercatus Center, November.
    8. Sylvie Charlot & Gilles Duranton, 2006. "Cities and Workplace Communication: Some Quantitative French Evidence," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(8), pages 1365-1394, July.
    9. Frank Lasch & Frank Robert & Frédéric Roy, 2013. "Regional determinants of ICT new firm formation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 671-686, April.
    10. Ning, Lutao & Wang, Fan & Li, Jian, 2016. "Urban innovation, regional externalities of foreign direct investment and industrial agglomeration: Evidence from Chinese cities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 830-843.
    11. Javier Changoluisa, 2021. "The early development of new establishments: An evaluation of the role of spatial selection and agglomeration," Jena Economics Research Papers 2021-009, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    12. Justin Doran & Declan Jordan & Eoin O'Leary, 2012. "The Effects of National and International Interaction on Innovation: Evidence from the Irish CIS: 2004--06," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(5), pages 371-390, July.
    13. Bramwell, Allison & Wolfe, David A., 2008. "Universities and regional economic development: The entrepreneurial University of Waterloo," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 1175-1187, September.
    14. Geert Vissers & Ben Dankbaar, 2016. "Spatial Aspects of Interfirm Collaboration: An Exploration of Firm-Level Knowledge Dynamics," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(2), pages 260-273, February.
    15. Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal & Josep-Maria Arauzo-Carod, 2012. "Can a knowledge-based cluster be created? The case of the Barcelona 22@ district," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 91(2), pages 377-400, June.
    16. Hasan Engin Duran & Ugo Fratesi, 2023. "Economic resilience and regionally differentiated cycles: Evidence from a turning point approach in Italy," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 102(2), pages 219-252, April.
    17. Michael Storper & Michael Manville, 2006. "Behaviour, Preferences and Cities: Urban Theory and Urban Resurgence," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(8), pages 1247-1274, July.
    18. Renato Garcia & Veneziano Araujo & Suelene Mascarini & Emerson Santos, 2011. "University-industry linkages and the role of the geographical proximity," ERSA conference papers ersa11p581, European Regional Science Association.
    19. Tavassoli, Sam & Obschonka, Martin & Audretsch, David B., 2021. "Entrepreneurship in Cities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(7).
    20. Eloy Solis & Kayvan Karimi & Irene Garcia & Inmaculada Mohino, 2022. "Knowledge Economy Clustering at the Intrametropolitan Level: Evidence from Madrid," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(2), pages 1268-1299, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:61:y:2024:i:3:p:549-566. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/urbanstudiesjournal .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.