Industries, sectors, and clusters are a major component of regional and urban economic analysis as well as a key element of economic development strategies. For example, one need only examine the reports from public and private agencies or review the flow of request for proposals by public agencies and non-profit organizations that ask for, or include, sectoral analyses and policy strategies designed to target particular industries. Not coincidentally, much of urban and regional research that seeks to account for the strengths and dynamics of regions brings to bear theories about industrial development, sectoral dynamics, and the roles of particular industries.

This course will provide a foundation for students in the methodological skills as well as substantive issues that may become a basis for economic development or industrial planning, and for project implementation. The seminar has four objectives that are methodological, substantive, and theoretical: 1) to introduce and apply the various methods and procedures of sectoral investigation as applied to regions, industries, companies, and their labor forces; and 2) to investigate the characteristics and trends of particular industry sub-sectors in the specific case of the GTHA, resulting in an industry profile that can serve as an aid to planning and shaping the economic development of communities and the region.