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This thematic issue of Urban Planning brings together a collection of seven articles that explore and critically engage with contemporary issues with local economic development and connect with the broader fields of urban development and planning. The articles presented here provide a complementary mix of broader conceptualizations and research and narrower case-studies which draw from a range of geographies. Contributions include the development and application of a vulnerability and risk measures for economic prosperity; examinations of how urban planning and zoning are used as tools to address industrial decline and spur new forms of economic production; complementing investigations into the role of innovation within local economic development examining the role of public and private institutions as well as broad and targeted policy interventions; and the relationship between 'big-tech,' economic development and urban planning and governance.

Although innovation is a major theme in current local economic development and planning, there is a considerable uncertainty of what the concept specifically means, measured, and how outcomes are identified. To date, no study has investigated this glaring gap in scholarship. To address this gap, we interviewed economic development practitioners across cities in Ontario to identify and clarify how they define, apply, and measure innovation within their cities' economic development strategies. Practitioners indicate that innovation plays a key role in their cities' economic development strategy, demonstrating the importance of the concept within local governments. Additionally, it is clear that local governments are key facilitators of innovation. While many cities claim to have some form of innovation in their economic development strategies, a wide range of framings and approaches to innovation exist. Cities may not be taking the most efficient approach to fostering local innovation, which is critical with the rise of knowledge-based economic development.

Although innovation is a major theme in current local economic development and planning, there is a considerable uncertainty of what the concept specifically means, measured, and how outcomes are identified. To date, no study has investigated this glaring gap in scholarship. To address this gap, we interviewed economic development practitioners across cities in Ontario to identify and clarify how they define, apply, and measure innovation within their cities' economic development strategies. Practitioners indicate that innovation plays a key role in their cities' economic development strategy, demonstrating the importance of the concept within local governments. Additionally, it is clear that local governments are key facilitators of innovation. While many cities claim to have some form of innovation in their economic development strategies, a wide range of framings and approaches to innovation exist. Cities may not be taking the most efficient approach to fostering local innovation, which is critical with the rise of knowledge-based economic development.

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to examine how social media is used as a promotional tool for economic development at the municipal level through place marketing and branding, to identify and explore what specific tools are being used, and to discuss the strengths and limitations of use. Primary data was collected through in‐depth interviews with 16 municipal economic development practitioners in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Additional data collected from municipal social media accounts was used to further reinforce the qualitative data and allow for triangulation and greater breadth of analysis. The findings suggest that social media is being used as a tool to promote local services and political information rather than communicate a brand position. Additionally, limited interaction with the audience reduces not only the effectiveness of place marketing efforts but also enhancement of place brands. While some findings are place specific (as study design limited research participants to municipalities in Ontario), these findings can be shared with other locales in advanced economies to provide them with information to make improvements in the way communication technology is utilised. This research paper provides a better understanding of how social media is being used by municipalities and how it fits into place marketing and place branding.

The COVID-19 pandemic was one of many global challenges localities have contended with over the past few decades. In response to such global pressures, economic development practitioners are tasked with safeguarding their localities' economic and social well-being. But little is known about how these types of shocks and challenges have influenced overall economic development practices and planning. To address this question, we conducted in-depth interviews with thirty-seven local economic development practitioners from Ontario, Canada. We find that practitioners, in their bounded autonomy, push back against global forces such as the COVID-19 pandemic in an attempt to safeguard their localities. Further, the findings show that over the last three years a shift occurred in nearly all parts of local economic development – from greater emphasis on human capital, to changes in what sectors of local economies are favored and targeted, to alterations in the day-to-day work occurring within local economic development offices.