Creativity and the City: How the Creative Economy is Changing the City (Reflect)

Richard Florida, the economist whose The Rise of the Creative Class brought into common usage the terms "creative class" and "creative city," may be American, but as a contributor to Creativity and the City he inquires how his ideas might function in the laboratory of Dutch policy. Florida has posited that as industrial and service jobs move to low-wage countries, creativity will become a larger force in economic growth, and that a creative sector of scientists, researchers, architects, designers, consultants, and their ilk will come to drive the economy. He believes that those cities fostering and attracting such an elite will have the greatest potency: businesses will locate where there is talent. Dutch politicians, administrators, and intellectuals have been reading him avidly, and see practical applications for his ideas in the redevelopment of former industrial zones, in new business activity in the old city centers, and in the sorts of new economic activity that they hope will serve the country well in the next century. Creativity and the City explores potential political, social and societal outcomes--along with a wealth of practical urban policy questions--in 15 essays, including contributions from Richard Florida, Charles Landry, Nachtwacht Amsterdam (Amsterdam's "Night-time Mayor"), John Thackaza and others.