Economic development fails by excluding segments of the population, criminalizing survival economic activities, displacing small businesses and cultural organizations, not protecting the affordability of job space, and prioritizing profit over people and planet. But it is possible for municipal economic development to contribute to strong and vibrant communities that work for everyone. When cities use an integrated sustainability framework to plan their economies – one that not only considers economic but also social, cultural, and environmental implications of its work – amazing things can happen. This panel will present the ways in which Vancouver is using a systems lens to plan for the future of its economy. The presenters are City of Vancouver and Vancouver Economic Commission staff, who will present their projects and, more importantly, how they are working together on economic development in order to achieve more holistic and integrated outcomes in order to ‘change the system.’
