Can The 'Creative Class' Drive An Urban Renewal?

Proponents of the "creative class" suggest that "the key to urban resurgence" lies in attracting creative and innovative people to cities. Joel Kotkin and Fred Siegel argue that "the latte quotient is a bad strategy for building middle-class cities". The authors believe that placing too much emphasis on attracting the "creative classes" is no panacea for solving the more mundane problems that plague cities. Creativity and innovation are important, but these elements alone are not sufficient to form an urban strategy. Cities that prospered from the dot com trend are now suffering as they lose jobs and residents. Perhaps the key to urban renewal is not 'coolness' so much as 'livability'.

Thanks to Zvi Leve