This pillar aims to build innovation and sustainable growth in Cambridge’s existing sectors of strength—advanced manufacturing, creative industries, and tourism. The action plan emphasizes the importance of sector clusters to drive economic expansion and attract new businesses and skilled workers.
Economic Development Action Plan
Executive Summary
The City of Cambridge is poised at a pivotal moment where its rich heritage, vibrant community, and strategic location can serve as the foundation for a future marked by innovation, growth, and resilience.
The Economic Development Action Plan 2025-29 articulates and actions a vision for how Cambridge can harness its strengths, leverage partnerships, and create a thriving, dynamic environment where businesses, residents, and visitors can flourish.
This action plan is centred around Cambridge’s economic development vision: to be a collaborative, supportive, and innovative city where people and businesses thrive. To accomplish this, the City is focused on creating economic opportunities, supporting businesses and workers, and increasing local innovation capacity.
Critical Pillars Shaping the Future of Cambridge
This pillar focuses on making Cambridge a destination of choice by supporting features and initiatives residents, workers, and visitors value. Key initiatives include playing a supportive role in placemaking and promoting diversified development in core areas to support small businesses and foster a vibrant community.
3. Support for a Healthy Business Environment
This pillar aims to provide resources and infrastructure to local entrepreneurs and businesses, with a focus on supporting small businesses that play a critical role in Cambridge’s economy. It includes recommendations for improving business services, streamlining processes, and encouraging collaboration within the business community.
4. Storytelling for Brand Recognition
This pillar is dedicated to promoting Cambridge’s unique identity and strengths, including its priority sectors and regional partners. The action plan outlines ways to amplify the City’s brand and attract new businesses, residents, and visitors through targeted marketing and storytelling.
Cambridge Priority Sectors
Advanced Manufacturing (Automation and Robotics)
Advanced manufacturing leverages innovative technologies (e.g., automation and robotics), to enhance productivity and efficiency in manufacturing processes.This sector includes employers in fields such as aerospace, automotive, food processing, transportation equipment, and machinery manufacturing. Employees in advanced manufacturing work in roles ranging from engineering and design to production, quality control, and maintenance, contributing to technological advancements and economic growth.
Creative industries encompass a diverse range of industries involved in the creation, production, and distribution of cultural and artistic works. This includes industries such as art, music, film, architecture, advertising, publishing, and software design. Employers range from small start-ups to established organizations, providing employee roles in content creation, design, marketing, technical production, event management, and more.
The tourism sector comprises businesses that support the travel and hospitality ecosystem, including food services, accommodation, entertainment, and recreation. Employers in this sector range from local restaurants and hotels to event venues and cultural attractions. Employees often work in customer service, management, event planning, culinary arts, and tourism marketing, helping to make destinations appealing to visitors and driving local economic activity.
For access to the full Action Plan, please contact ecdev@cambridge.ca.
