The Rise of the Creative Class:

And How it's Transforming Work, Lesiure, Community and Everyday Life

Florida, R.  (2002). The rise of the creative class. New York: Basic Books.

On bookstore shelves there seems to be no shortage of books attempting to articulate prescriptions on the current status and future of work in the American economy.  One voice among the masses is Carnegie Mellon professor Richard Florida, who presents the primary thesis that creative workers deliberately move to regions that are more diverse, open, and tolerant – and that creative companies follow them there. 

Contrary to traditional thinking about demographic economics, which holds that talent goes to the jobs, Florida’s research suggests that in the Twenty-first Century, the jobs are going to where the talent is.  His research led him to the conclusion that successful regional or city economies in the future will be characterized by three T’s: Talent, Technology, and Tolerance.  Austin, Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego are prototypical examples of such cities that play host to the “Creative Class;” these cities are marked by ethnic, racial and religious diversity, openness to difference, cultural offerings, and – Florida contends – a growing number of headquarters of competitive multi-national firms.  

Florida argues that the Creative Class in America consists of 38 million people, roughly 30 percent of the workforce.  This Creative Class has two major sub-components: a Super-Creative Core and Creative Professionals.  The Super-creative core includes computer and mathematical occupations, architecture and engineering occupations, life, physical, and social science occupations, education, training, and library occupations, and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations.  Meanwhile, Creative Professionals include workers in management, business and financial operations occupations, legal occupations, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, and high-end sales and sales management. 

Further, Florida warns that the working and service class of workers in America will face increasing challenges as routine or manufacturing work increasingly is being outsourced overseas.  This book is filled with lists, charts and graphs depicting data in support of his thesis.  By better understanding why creativity functions in economies for inhibition or growth, businesses and urban planners can leverage their resources and find the talent needed to remain competitive.    

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