Libraries' Role in Making Cities Attractive

From the Conference Board of Canada - City Magnets II: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of 50 Canadian Cities. This report analyzes and benchmarks the features that make Canadian cities attractive to skilled workers and mobile populations. In terms of economic strategy, the report posits that cities without the ability to act as magnets and attract new people will struggle to stay prosperous in the decades ahead. It analyzes Canada’s 50 largest cities according to 41 features that make Canadian cities attractive to mobile populations. One of those features/indicators, in the Society category, is “Travel time to libraries”. It is defined as measuring “the average travel time (in minutes) from home to the nearest library in the city, based on all modes of transportation”. In terms of methodology, this indicator “is a proxy for access to culture in the city. A city with greater access is more attractive.” The report identifies the following top six city magnets: Calgary, Waterloo, Ottawa, Vancouver, St. John’s, and Richmond Hill. Markham is ranked 9th. A copy of the report has been ordered for MPL’s professional collection.