ABSTRACT
Introduction The significance of creative industries for cities has been well established in contemporary literature (Scott, 2000; Florida, 2002; Markusen, 2006). Studies cite the role that these industries play in cultural development, neighborhood revitalization and economic development. In recent years, the focus among researchers and policy makers has centered on the economic significance of these industries, both in terms of their direct contribution through the production and distribution of cultural goods, and in terms of the role they play in place-branding a city for tourism and cultural consumption. This discussion has been particularly salient for traditional industrial centers, such as Montreal, which are seeking to reposition themselves and forge new identities within the global economy. Creative industries are often held up as a panacea for deindustrialization and the associated job loss or abandoned manufacturing quarters, but the question of how to promote the viable development of such industries remains an open one. Some commentators express skepticism that a creative economy can be planned at all, suggesting that artistic currents emerge organically. Mommaas (2004: 521), however, sees a potential role for policy in fostering conditions conducive to the growth of cultural industries.
