Richard Florida

Richard Florida (born 1957 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American urban studies theorist.

Professor Florida's focus is on social and economic theory. He is currently a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management and the MaRS Discovery District, at the University of Toronto. [cite news|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070710.wflorida10/BNStory/National/|publisher=Globe and Mail|author=Caroline Alphonso and Joanna Smith|title='Stars aligned' for urban guru's move|date=2007-07-10] He also heads a private consulting firm, the Creative Class Group.

Prof. Florida received a PhD from Columbia University in 1986. Prior to joining George Mason University's School of Public Policy where he spent two years, he taught at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School from 1987 to 2005.

Research and theories

He is best known for his work in developing his concept of the creative class, and its ramifications in urban regeneration. This research was expressed in Florida's bestselling book "The Rise of the Creative Class", "Cities and the Creative Class", and "The Flight of the Creative Class". A new book, focusing on the issues surrounding urban renewal and talent migration, titled "Who's Your City?", was recently published.

Prof. Florida's theory asserts that metropolitan regions with high concentrations of high-tech workers, artists, musicians, lesbians and gay men, and a group he describes as "high bohemians", correlate with a higher level of economic development. Florida posits the theory that the creative class fosters an open, dynamic, personal and professional environment. This environment, in turn, attracts more creative people, as well as businesses and capital. He suggests that attracting and retaining high-quality talent, versus a singular focus on infrastructure projects such as sports stadiums, iconic buildings, and shopping centers, would be a better primary use of a city's regeneration resources for long-term prosperity.

He has devised his own ranking systems that rate cities by a "Bohemian index," a "Gay index," a "diversity index" and similar criteria.

Criticism and controversy

Florida's theories are the source of both praise and controversy. Florida's ideas have been criticized from a variety of political perspectives, and by both academics and journalists. His theories have been criticized as being elitist, and his data have been questioned. [cite journal|title=Struggling with the Creative Class|author=Jamie Peck|url=http://irle.ucla.edu/faculty/mvidal/peck_on_florida.pdf]

Researchers have also criticized Florida's work for its methodology. Terry Nichols Clark (University of Chicago) has used Florida's own data-sets to question the much-touted correlation between the presence of significant numbers of gay men in a city and the presence of high-technology knowledge industries. [cite journal|title=Urban Amenities: Lakes, Opera, and Juice Bars Do They Drive Development?|author=Terry Nichols Clark|url=http://www.coolcities.com/cm/attach/ACFAEF2D-708B-4861-96D4-CA6FD5B87436/UrbanAmenitiesandGrowthUC.pdf]

Other critics have said that the conditions it describes may no longer exist, and that his theories may be better suited to politics, rather than economics [cite news|title=The Curse of the Creative Class|last=Malanga|first=Steven|publisher=City Journal|date=Winter 2004|url=http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_1_the_curse.html] . Florida has gone on to directly reply to a number of these objections.

Florida's first book, "The Rise of the Creative Class", which was followed by a 'prequel' titled "Cities and the Creative Class", which provided more in-depth data to support his findings, came at the end of the dot-com boom (it was first published in 2002). However, with the rise of Google, the juggernauts of Web 2.0, and the constant call from business leaders (often seen in publications such as Business 2.0) for a more "creative", as well as skilled, workforce, he and his supporters assert the contemporary relevance of Florida's research is easy to see.cite news|url=http://creativeclass.typepad.com/thecreativityexchange/technology_innovation/index.html|title=In Defense of the 'Creative Class' - Author Richard Florida responds to criticisms of "The Rise of the Creative Class."|last=Florida|first=Richard|2004-04-28 ]

Partial bibliography

*"Who's Your City?", 2008. ISBN 0465003524.
*"The Flight of the Creative Class. The New Global Competition for Talent", 2005. HarperBusiness, HarperCollins. ISBN 0060756918.
* "Cities and the Creative Class", 2005. Routledge. ISBN 0415948878.
* "The Rise of the Creative Class. And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure and Everyday Life", 2002. Basic Books. ISBN 0465024777.
* Branscomb, Lewis & Kodama, Fumio & Florida, Richard (1999). "Industrializing Knowledge: University-Industry Linkages in Japan and the United States". MIT Press. ISBN 0262024659.
* Kenny, Martin & Florida, Richard (1993). "Beyond Mass Production: The Japanese System and Its Transfer to the US". Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195071107.
* Florida, Richard (1990). "The Breakthrough Illusion. Corporate America's Failure to Move from Innovation to Mass Production". Basic Books. ISBN 0465007600.

Critical articles on Florida

* Terry Nichols Clarke, " [http://www.coolcities.com/cm/attach/ACFAEF2D-708B-4861-96D4-CA6FD5B87436/UrbanAmenitiesandGrowthUC.pdf "Urban Amenities: Lakes, Opera, and Juice Bars"] " (2002).
* Steven Malanga, " [http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110004573 "The Curse of the Creative Class"] ".
* Joel Kotkin, " [http://www.joelkotkin.com/Urban_Affairs/NYS%20-%20The%20Capital%20of%20What.htm "The Capital of What?"] ".
* Ann Daly, " [http://www.anndalyconsulting.com/articles/florida.html "Richard Florida's High-Class Glasses"] "
* Steve Sailer, " [http://www.vdare.com/sailer/brookings.htm "Brookings Does Diversity, Sort Of"] "
* Peck, Jamie. 2005. " [http://irle.ucla.edu/faculty/mvidal/peck_on_florida.pdf "Struggling with the Creative Class] " "International Journal of Urban and Rural Research" 29,4: 740-770.
* Scott, Allen J. “Creative Cities: Conceptual Issues and Policy Questions,” Journal of Urban Affairs, 28, 2006, 1 – 17.

See also

*Tom DeMarco
*Thomas Frank
*Peter Hall (urbanist)
*Thomas W. Malone
*Urban renewal

Notes

External links

* [http://martinprosperityinstitute.com/people/author/richard-florida Richard Florida bio page] at the Martin Prosperity Institute
* Florida's latest book website [http://creativeclass.com/whos_your_city/ Who's Your City]
* Critique by Kevin Griffis in [http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2002-08-21/cover.html CreativeLoafing.com]
* [http://entitledtoanopinion.wordpress.com/2007/11/06/steve-sailer-on-richard-florida/ Critique by Steve Sailer]
* [http://www.city-journal.org/2008/bc0328sm.html "Who's Your Economist?" by Steven Malanga in City Journal] , published by free market think-tank The Manhattan Institute
* [http://management.silicon.com/careers/0,39024849,39163087,00.htm "Unwired: Prepare for the next generation"]
* [http://www.cci.edu.au/ Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation]
* [http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ocga/testimony/Importance_of_Foreign_Scientists_and_Engineers_to_US.asp "The Importance of Foreign-born Scientists and Engineers to the Security of The United States": A Congressional Report, submitted by the National Academy of Engineering]
*Article on creative flight at the Cato Institute's [http://www.cato-unbound.org/2006/06/04/richard-florida/the-future-of-the-american-workforce-in-the-global-creative-economy Unbound Forum]
*http://www.thecommentary.ca/ontheline/20080616a.html Richard Florida audio interview re: Who's Your City, June 2008
* Video of a Keynote by Richard Florida [http://speakersrus.com/booking-directory/speakers/richard-florida-20080520143/]
* [http://colinmarshall.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=329819 An interview with Richard Florida on "The Marketplace of Ideas"]