By Aaron Koch, Mayors Institute on City Design
February 3, 2003

During the January 23 morning session of the 71st Annual Winter Meeting, the nation's mayors heard an eye-opening presentation from Dr. Richard Florida. Florida, a professor of regional economic development at Carnegie Mellon University, is the author of the national best seller, The Rise of the Creative Class.

Florida's message is that creativity is the defining feature of economic life of U.S. urban areas. According to his research, approximately 38 million, more than 30 percent of the nation's workforce, are part of a group he has termed the Creative Class. By his definition, this group includes people working in science and engineering, architecture and design, education, arts, music and entertainment, and those who creatively address complex issues within business, law, health care, or some other profession. These people, more than any other group, are driving transformations in work, leisure, community, and the everyday life of cities.

During his presentation, Florida focused on the question: Why do people locate in cities? His answer to this complex question pointed to the presence of creativity and the aspects of communities that attract people. He stressed three main points concerning his extensive research on the Creative Class.

First, he emphasized that creativity is generating economic growth and success in cities. Major growth is being influenced by factors such as the presence of technology, cultural amenities, and strong design. The aspects are critical because they provide an environment that attracts creative people. These people in turn are responsible for new business development, neighborhood revitalization, and investment in cities, Florida said.

Second, Florida emphasized that creativity is a human resource. People are the raw material for cities, and creativity can be found in all people, not just those in the Creative Class. Cities and public officials have tremendous opportunities to harness the creativity, energy, and ideas of its citizens. Florida discussed the grassroots power of arts groups and neighborhood organizations to illustrate that positive change and economic growth is influenced by citizens dedicated to shaping their community.

Third, quality of place matters. Florida stated that people are attracted to places because of the built and natural environment, the diversity of people, and the vibrancy of a community's street life, culture, arts, and music. Florida contends that the geographic community has become more important to people than the corporation. Florida said that people move to a place foremost because it is where they want to live and not merely because of the presence of traditional work opportunities. To demonstrate this claim, Florida cites statistics that the average worker now spends 3 years in a job, while workers under 30 average a 1 year tenure. These large shifts from previous generations indicate that the workforce is more mobile and perhaps in search of a more meaningful work experience as opposed to traditional factors such as stability.

Florida points to cities such as San Francisco, Austin, Boston, Washington, DC, New York, Seattle, Chicago, and Minneapolis to illustrate the effects of successfully attracting creative class workers. He stated that these cities, and other creative centers, offer a variety of economic opportunities, vibrant urban districts, abundant outdoor recreation, openness to diversity, amenities for every possible lifestyle, and the ability for Creative Class individuals to shape and validate their identities.

So what does all of this mean to mayors? Florida told the mayors attending the packed session that the job of a mayor has become more difficult and complex because the traditional economic development recipe of attracting corporations and building big budget projects such as sports stadiums is not enough. The creative class is attracted to cities by authenticity, interesting lifestyle options, strong social interaction, nightlife, diversity, and quality of place. Florida stressed that cities can help facilitate creative opportunities and support initiatives to strengthen the vibrancy and design of their communities. He encouraged mayors not to cut important areas such as the arts, education, transit, housing, and quality of design in these tough economic times. By paying attention to the aspects that are attracting Creative Class individuals, mayors and public officials can determine ways to improve their communities and strengthen economic conditions.

Despite the abundant and exciting ways that creativity is transforming cities, Florida showed research that the large scale transformations attributed to the Creative Class are contributing to rising inequality within cities. Creativity is not a panacea for all social and economic ills that confront modern society. Florida emphasized that, if left unchecked and without appropriate human intervention, the creativity-based system may well make some of our urban problems worse. He advocated that mayors pay close attention to the growing inequality that exists in today's economy.

The ideas presented by Richard Florida at the Winter Meeting provided mayors with only a brief sampling about the creative class transformation and the opportunities for cities to respond to these changes. To gain a more detailed insight, visit www.creativeclass.org and read Richard Florida's The Rise of the Creative Class.