Is this region full of "Creative Elites?"

[Wuptdo]

Believe it of not, this was a required read in my History class.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0401.florida.html

I found it very interesting.

Wuptdo B-)

[SteveG]

Believe it of not, this was a required read in my History class.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0401.florida.html

I found it very interesting.

Wuptdo B-)

The author attempts to use his old thesis of the Creative Class for a little Bush-bashing. However, I think he misclassifies the demographic trends. The Creative Class is not especially liberal, and are not driven away by political conservatism. The Creative Class is mostly young, and mostly driven by access to information in the information economy. In particular, they are attracted to places where they will have access to people, especially diverse populations that will expose them to interesting ideas, and to educational opportunities. Also, young people who are investing most of their resources into intellectual growth shop for different housing types and locations than do people who are investing in homesteads for the raising of children. This means that the Creative Class flocks to cities that have educational institutions, diverse populations, and compact, location-efficient housing. When they get older and are more focused on their children, they may move out into more isolated suburbs in order to have more space to live and play in privacy, and to avoid some of the less child-friendly aspects of cities. Conservatives aren't the only ones to move to suburbs to raise their children, and liberals aren't the only ones to move to the cities to access the commerce of ideas.

Cary is interesting because it is both a suburb and very close to multiple educational institutions and centers of high-tech business. Cary attracts the older half of the Creative Class due to the higher cost housing and longer distances from destinations than the city centers, where the young Creative Class members like to stay close to schools, other young people, and their activities (entertainment/food/arts).

If the cities are more liberal than the suburbs, this may have more to do with the ages and resulting priorities of the people who live in them at that time in their lives. Older urban residents may be more liberal-leaning than those who move out, because urban residents tend to share (and value) more public amenities (parks, transit) than do suburbanites who depend mostly on private amenities (big backyards, private cars). The unfortunate conservative assaults on all things public probably turns off some urbanites who like the idea of sharing public infrastructure, although conservatives who work to make failing public services work better and more efficiently for the people enjoy strong support from urbanites.

-Steve Goodridge

[Cathy]

Believe it of not, this was a required read in my History class.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0401.florida.html

I found it very interesting.


Wuptdo B-)



A very interesting article from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110004573

Those who are concerned about the current direction of Urban Development will see familiar policy trends.
THE BIG CITY

The Curse of the Creative Class
A New Age theory of urban development amounts to economic snake oil.

BY STEVEN MALANGA
Monday, January 19, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST

Providence, R.I., is so worried that it doesn't appeal to hip, young technology workers that local economic-development officials are urging a campaign to make the city the nation's capital of independent rock music. In Pittsburgh, another place that fears it lacks appeal among talented young people, officials want to build bike paths and outdoor hiking trails to make the city a magnet for creative workers. Meanwhile, a Memphis economic-development group is pressing that city to hold "celebrations of diversity" to attract more gays and minorities, in order--in their view--to bolster the local economy.

If you think these efforts represent some fringe of economic development, think again. All of these cities have been inspired by the theories of Richard Florida, a Carnegie Mellon professor whose notion that cities must become trendy, happening places in order to compete in the 21st-century economy is sweeping urban America. In his popular book "The Rise of the Creative Class," which just appeared in paperback after going through multiple hardcover editions, Mr. Florida argues that cities that attract gays, bohemians and ethnic minorities are the new economic powerhouses because they are also the places where creative workers--the kind who start and staff innovative, fast-growing companies--want to live. To lure this work force, Mr. Florida argues, cities must dispense with stuffy old theories of economic development--like the notion that low taxes are what draw in companies and workers--and instead must spend heavily on cultural amenities and pursue progressive social legislation.

A generation of leftist policy makers and urban planners are rushing to implement Mr. Florida's vision, while an admiring host of uncritical journalists tout it. But there is just one problem: .....

( see full story at link, it's rather long to post it all here)