Creative City Writing & Research

Over an eight year period, Mia collaborated on research on the how culture, place and economy intersect and has co-written book chapters, journal articles and an encyclopedia entry on the topic.

Between 2004 and 2011, Mia collaborated with Professor Deborah Leslie at the University of Toronto on cultural economy research. This research examined how city policy and practice intersected with numerous creative sectors, including fashion, fine & applied arts, circus arts and community arts programming.

Mia co-authored a number of pieces from this collaborative research including: a 2014 piece in the journal “Growth and Change” entitled “Crafting an antidote to fast fashion: The case of Toronto’s independent fashion design sector”; a 2013 article about how narratives of at-risk youth intersected with approaches to community arts programming in an article called “Securing the neoliberal city: Discourses of creativity and priority neighbourhoods in Toronto, Canada” in the journal “Urban Geography”; and a 2013 chapter in a book entitled “Seeking Talent for Creative Cities: The Social Dynamics of Economic Innovation” edited by Jill Grant. Mia and Professor Leslie also co-wrote an entry for The International Encyclopaedia of Housing and Home on “Home environments: Aesthetics, fashion, status”.

Her interest in how creativity and the city intersect was woven through her postdoctoral research as well, which focused on a craft-based social enterprise for marginalized women.