Small Business and the City

“A most useful book, especially for the city planner, urban geographer, and anyone who cares about the future of cities.  Relevant case analyses are embedded in a coherent structure that provides practical examples of past successes and failures as well as sensible policy recommendations for the future.  Highly recommended.”

-- David K. Foot, Professor Emeritus, Department of Economics, University of Toronto, and author of 'Boom, Bust & Echo: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Shift'

“Small Business and the City is a plea for a ‘small is beautiful’ approach to business, urban scale, and public sector decision-making. Gomez, Isakov, and Semansky’s evocative descriptions of Business Improvement Areas teach far more about BIAs, their operations, and the thinking of their members than do tables of statistics on these organizations.”

-- Pierre Filion, Professor, School of Planning, University of Waterloo

“Each atomistic transaction between a small business and a customer provides the flare for a rich economic eruption, encompassing spillovers and interactions with other firms, citizens, and the built environment. This book offers a bold explanation of how cities can succeed by nurturing and harnessing these powerful interactions to create dynamic communities and growing economies.”

-- Kevin Milligan, Associate Professor, Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia

‘This book provides a rich analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of small firms in a dynamic context like Canada.’

-- Alessandra Micozzi * Scienze Regionali vol 16:01:20