"The key to economic growth lies not just in the ability to attract the creative class, but to translate that underlying advantage into creative economic outcomes in the form of new ideas, new high-tech businesses and regional growth. to better gauge these capabilities I developed a new measure called the Creativity Index. The Creativity Index is a mix of four equally weighted factors: the creative class share the workforce; high-tech industry, using the Milken Institute's widely accepted Tech Pole Index, which I refer to as the High-Tech index; innovation, measured as patents per capita; and diversity, measured by the Gay Index, a reasonable proxy for an area's openness to different kinds of peoples and ideas. This composite indicator is a better measure of a region's underlying creative capabilites than the simple measure of the creative class, because it reflects the joint effects of its concentration and of innovative economic outcomes. The Creativity Index is thus my baseline indicator of a region's overall standing in the creative economy and I offer it as a barometer of a region's longer run economic potential.' - Richard Florida.
According to Richard Florida the "creative class" is a group of talented and creative people, who, in his theory, help spur high-tech growth. As the world is becoming more and more developed, "creativity has replaced raw materials or natural harbors as the crucial offspring of economic growth and so to be successful in this emerging creative age, regions must develop, attract and retain talented and creative people who generate innovations, develop technology-intensive industries and power economic growth" (quote from Competing on Creativity).
Chart for creative class population:
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| http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/metropolitanregion.bmp |
Super-Creative Core: This group comprises about 12 percent of all U.S. jobs. It includes a wide range of occupations (e.g. science, engineering, education, computer programming, research), with arts, design and media workers forming a small subset. Florida considers those belonging to this group to "fully engage in the creative process" (2002, p. 69). The Super-Creative Core is considered innovative, creating commercial products, and consumer goods. The primary job function of its members is to be creative and innovative. "Along with problem solving, their work may entail problem finding" (Florida, 2002, p. 69)
Florida says that the Creative Class is a class of workers whose job is to create meaningful new forms (2002). It is composed of scientists and engineers, university professors, poets and architects, and also includes "people in design, education, arts, music and entertainment, whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology and/or creative content” (Florida, 2002, p. 8). The designs of this group are seen as broadly transferable and useful. Another sector of the Creative Class includes positions that are knowledge intensive; these usually require a high degree of formal education (Florida, 2002). (Wikipedia)
From Richard Florida's speech we hear that earlier the people used to move to places where there were job opportunities but then he points out that the companies were moving to places like Boston and Chicago where there were so many creative people. So it wasn't people moving to places for jobs anymore it was jobs coming to people. The smart companies were doing this because they knew where the creative and skilled people were and if they moved their company there the company would flourish to a great extent. Lycos was a company which moved to Boston from Pittsburgh.
Creativity had become the driving force of economic growth. Creativity is the highest aspect of education and so the creative class is the highest aspect of education spearhead which gives it the most power. Economic growth does not come only with creative people or only with technology but what can cause the economic growth is the combination of the two. There are a lot of different types of creativity like artistic, cultural creativity, computer graphics etc. People are more mobile than before now and they move where they can make friends and live an anonymous and easy life. Creativity came from nothing material, it just came about as people are the driving force behind this.
The values of the creative people are creativity, difference, self-expression, merit and openness. About 38 million people fall in thee creative class and they earn about twice as much from the average pay in the US. Even the who are in the lower classes can move to the upper class with the influence of Creativity. The lifestyle of the creative people are also different as they tend not to separate their work life and home life. Some people can even work from their homes and they have much more freedom in offices. So the idea of creative class is a true innovation and motivational as well for the people to change their lives for the good.
Creativity had become the driving force of economic growth. Creativity is the highest aspect of education and so the creative class is the highest aspect of education spearhead which gives it the most power. Economic growth does not come only with creative people or only with technology but what can cause the economic growth is the combination of the two. There are a lot of different types of creativity like artistic, cultural creativity, computer graphics etc. People are more mobile than before now and they move where they can make friends and live an anonymous and easy life. Creativity came from nothing material, it just came about as people are the driving force behind this.
The values of the creative people are creativity, difference, self-expression, merit and openness. About 38 million people fall in thee creative class and they earn about twice as much from the average pay in the US. Even the who are in the lower classes can move to the upper class with the influence of Creativity. The lifestyle of the creative people are also different as they tend not to separate their work life and home life. Some people can even work from their homes and they have much more freedom in offices. So the idea of creative class is a true innovation and motivational as well for the people to change their lives for the good.
Although Richard Florida’s theory is pretty good but numerous studies have found faults in his theory. Analysts like Jamie Peck, Montgomery, Matteo Pasquinelli pointed out thee faults in the theory by their research in different cities in Europe, Asia and Australia. They disagree because after doing research they found out that the theory is not valid for every state or country. For the creative class to have a really good impact they have to be given opportunities and technology but some countries cannot provide that as a result no progress occurs there. Even though there are creative people in a place without proper support the economic growth is not possible. So in order for the creative class to fully utilize their power and ability they have to be given the right opportunity.
As Florida’s message was very quickly adopted by many cities because he argued that any city could become vibrant and creative city it led to the economic downfall of the cities. Moreover the creative class thesis relies on several factors which can’t be changed all at once. But his analysis has been a key component of cultural policies and strategies in different cities in different countries.
References:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0205.florida.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_class
As Florida’s message was very quickly adopted by many cities because he argued that any city could become vibrant and creative city it led to the economic downfall of the cities. Moreover the creative class thesis relies on several factors which can’t be changed all at once. But his analysis has been a key component of cultural policies and strategies in different cities in different countries.
References:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0205.florida.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_class
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