http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/saporta/stories/2007/12/05/saporta_1206.html
An argument for a new creative age
The Midtown Alliance got a message about creativity at its annual meeting Tuesday. Richard Florida, author of "The Rise of the Creative Class," called the transformation of Midtown in the last two decades "remarkable."
Florida made a case that we're moving from the industrial age to the creative age — a change that defies the assumptions we've had about economic development.
Florida said people traditionally followed jobs, so all efforts were to get companies to locate in communities. Now jobs are moving to where employers can tap into pools of talented workers, so the thrust should be to attract the creative class.
The best people to interview are college seniors to find out where they plan to live, and why, Florida said.
In his research on how to woo this group, Florida described a pyramid with five layers. At the bottom are basic services — sewers, streets, trash pick-up, schools.
The next layer is opportunity. Does a place offer residents an opportunity to succeed? Next is leadership — does an area have strong civic participation with people who seek progress?
The top two levels were a surprise to Florida. A community needs to be tolerant and welcome diversity. And at the apex of the pyramid is "quality of place." That includes great parks, aesthetics, the arts and public spaces.
Florida said Midtown is on the right track.
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