Creative Industry in the Mt. Pleasant Slopes: Understanding the locational requirements of industrial and creative firms in Vancouver’s I-1 Industrial Area

This research focuses on understanding the locational decisions of both industrial and creative economy firms that have chosen to locate within Vancouver’s Mt Pleasant Slopes light industrial area between the time period of 1995 to 2015 in order to inform policy that seeks to intensify the use of industrial lands through new and complementary uses. Marshall’s theory of firm agglomeration is used as a framework to examine the locational decisions of firms through the factors of goods movement, labour and knowledge; a fourth factor is also developed as the built environment. Based on this framework, a survey along with semi-formal interviews were conducted in 2015 to develop a snapshot of an area undergoing rapid change. Through an analysis of both these qualitative and quantitative methods, labour and the built environment are supported as primary locational factors for existing firms in the area; an update of recent changes and pressures on the area are discussed, as well as future areas of research.