I have to admit that I have both “The Creative Class” and “Who’s Your City” and wasn’t able to get through them. A few chapters in I got all bogged down in the efficacy of Richard Florida’s cause and effect conclusions and had to stop reading.
He was in New Brunswick yesterday preaching his message that we have to support arts and creativity as a driver of economic development.
I, as pointed out here several times, am not convinced that investing in arts and culture will lead to economic development. I am not against funding of the arts and culture but not convinced of the cause and effect.
It seems to me that when I look at the cities that he uses as creative models – Austin, San Francisco, etc. – that they were strong economies first that had surplus income to invest in arts and cultural activities which attracted bohemians which, I will agree, were good for the local community.
But on a broader note, isn’t Florida the poster boy for Rock Star Academic? Reading his stuff, just on the academic rigour side of things, I think many of his traditional peers in Academia must cringe.
I guess I am saying don’t expect Florida to win the Nobel Prize in economics any time soon.