Systèmes locaux et réseaux productifs dans la reconversion économique : le cas de Montréal

This article deals with the process of conversion of Montreal to the Knowledge economy. The transition is characterized by the increasing importance of firms of the high technology sector, essentially biopharmaceutical, aeronautics and telecom firms. On the basis of a survey of 80 firms, the article analyses the role of proximity and of the local dimension in the process of conversion. The analysis is based on indicators such as factors of location, productive integration, the effect of proximity on the innovative potential, the local market, and the partnership with local organizations. The article shows that the level of analysis appropriate to understand the territorial dimension of the conversion of Montreal is the metropolitan level. Montreal appears to be based on a combination of local productive networks intertwined at the metropolitan level.