The Curse Of The Creative Class?

A chorus of critics are writing that Richard Florida's popular ideas about the economic impacts of the creative class have little in the way of empirical evidence. Rather, there is significant evidence that suggests that Florida is wrong: "A generation of leftish policy-makers and urban planners is rushing to implement Florida's vision, while an admiring host of uncritical journalists touts it. But there is just one problem: the basic economics behind his ideas don't work. Far from being economic powerhouses, a number of the cities the professor identifies as creative-age winners have chronically underperformed the American economy. And, although Florida is fond of saying that, today, 'place matters' in attracting workers and business, some of his top creative cities don't even do a particularly good job at attracting—or keeping—residents."