Resilient clusters: connecting high-tech clusters to resilience thinking using Crestwood Corporate Centre and Yaletown

This research project explores the connections between economic development and sustainable land use planning. It brings forward the idea that to create cities that are resilient to coming crises such as climate change and resource depletion, coordinated economic development and land use development is needed. The purpose of the project is to determine what principles of urban development will create a resilient cluster, an area that is attractive to high-tech firms and matches the principles of smart growth, a set of principles for sustainable land use development. It analyzes and compares two case study areas in Metro Vancouver: Yaletown and Crestwood Corporate Centre, where I determine the important factors needed to attract high-tech firms while also finding connections with the aspects of smart growth needed to create more resilient clusters. I argue that economic development and land use development can have sustainable and resilient results when coordinated.