Thomas Sevcik says that hoping for an economic benefit by attracting the creative class and artists is a wrongheaded strategy.
Yael Friedman at Urban Omnibus comments on Sevcik's provocative presentation at Art Babel, which Sevcik admits is the wrong audience, saying, "I'm very sorry, I should be talking to mayors and art strategists at cities instead of the people in the art business."
Friedman summarizes Sevcik's presentation:
"Sevcik posed several challenges to the accepted wisdom about the impact of the creative industries on cities. Along with questioning the Bilbao Effect, he targeted the value of the 'creative industries' themselves. He posited that the creative industries are actually innovation-averse, citing several studies that argue that, due to chronic under-funding, 'once [creative industries] find a formula [of] how they can sell a product – a special type of website or special strategy – they tend then to sell the same thing over and over.'"
Art Salon | Urbanism | Why Art and the Creative Class will Never Save Cities from Art Basel on Vimeo.
FULL STORY: Thomas Sevcik: Why Art and the Creative Class will Never Save Cities

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie