The Initiative
The Pearson Economic Zone initiative offers a deep dive into a key business district in the region where economic activities such as warehousing, logistics and distribution, and manufacturing concentrate. Solutions that are right-sized for the Pearson Zone can be scaled to similar business districts in other parts of the Region.
The project builds on the Board’s business district framework, a new and innovative model developed by the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Economic Blueprint Institute to understand the complexity and diversity of a regional economy. This regional and data-driven approach serves to better inform economic development, infrastructure investments, and recovery planning across Canada’s urban regions, starting with the Innovation Corridor.
Objectives
Outcomes for the Toronto Pearson Economic Zone initiative will focus on a series of place-based activations that address shared problems to solve, highlights of specific infrastructure investments, and recommended policy actions. Together, these solutions can ladder up to an action plan for the Zone.
A phased approach
The place-based approach to the Pearson Economic Zone will involve three phases of the project:
- Problem identification: Identity, refine, and prioritize problems to solve through the development of proof points tested through stakeholder feedback.
- Solutioning: Identify and prioritize solutions and pilots supported by stakeholder feedback, research, and data analysis.
- Activation: TRBOT will advocate, through a campaign, for the implementation of a range of activations identified in the deep dive that will ladder up to an action plan for the Zone.
We are currently working with businesses and other stakeholders throughout the Zone on the problem identification phase.
If you have questions about the Pearson Economic Zone project, please contact us.
