Research Report: Prototyping the GRIID

Prototyping the GrIID™: The Story of Vancouver’s first Green Industrial Innovation District in Formation is the result of a research collaboration between Living Labs/Shumka Centre and Recycling Alternative, supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) through the Circular Economies and Local Ecologies program in 2021-2022.

Prototyping the GrIID™ zooms in to profile four organizations currently operating within the GrIID™ to understand the specific practices, challenges and opportunities pertaining to the circular economy in the False Creek Flats district of Vancouver. The profiles extend across several sectoral clusters, including sustainable waste management, arts and culture, food and urban agriculture, manufacturing, deconstruction and inclusive employment.

The information in this report was gathered through a series of interviews and site visits in the fall of 2021, which was synthesized in collaboration with partner organizations. The intent of the report is to:

  • tell the story of the work happening on the ground;
  • inform the development of infrastructure and resources needed to further the goals of launching Vancouver’s GrIID™
  • demonstrate the approaches to a circular economy being tested and utilized as an example to other business networks and municipalities interested in launching their own GrIID.

Project Team: Louise Schwarz and Robert Weatherbe, Recycling Alternative; Christa Clay, Kimia Gholami, Zahra Jalali and Laura Kozak, Living Labs and Shumka Centre

 

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