Mapping Creative Spaces in Omaha, NE: Resident Perceptions versus Creative Firm Locations

Bradley Bereitschaft

doi:10.3390/ijgi7070263

Abstract

In an era increasingly shaped by automation and globalization, industries that rely on creativity, innovation, and knowledge-generation are considered key drivers of economic growth in the U.S. and other advanced capitalist economies. This study examines the spatial distribution of creative firms and how they might align with perceptions of creativity in Omaha, Nebraska, a mid-sized U.S. urban area. Utilizing a survey, participant mapping exercise, and geospatial analyses, the primary goal was to identify formal and informal spaces of creative production and consumption, and determine to what extent the location of creative firms (both arts/media- and science/technology-focused) may shape perceptions of creativity across the urban landscape. The results suggest that local area residents primarily view dense, vibrant, mixed-use, and often historic urban neighborhoods as particularly creative, whether or not there exists a dense concentration of creative firms. Similarly, creative firms were more spatially diffuse than the clusters of “creative locations” identified by residents, and were more frequently found in suburban locations. Furthermore, while there was no discernible difference among “creative” and “non-creative” workers, science/technology firms were more likely than arts/media firms to be found in suburban locations, and less likely to be associated with perceptions of creativity in Omaha.

Highlights

With the relative decline of heavy manufacturing in the Global North, and the subsequent rise of knowledge-intensive industries, there has been considerable interest among urban and economic geographers as to how space and place are both shaping, and being shaped by, this monumental transformation
The results suggest that perceptions of where creativity exists in the city tends to be more spatially clustered than, and not always precisely in line with, the location of creative firms and organizations
To briefly examine what impact this might have on the association between perceptions of creativity and the location of creative firms, a paired sample t-test was used to compare the mean number of firms within close proximity (500 m) of creative “votes” provided by survey respondents greater or less than 50 years old, females versus males, households with an annual income greater or less than $100k, and between those with and without a 4-year college degree

Summary

Introduction

With the relative decline of heavy manufacturing in the Global North, and the subsequent rise of knowledge-intensive industries (e.g., technology, medicine, engineering, finance, arts, media and design), there has been considerable interest among urban and economic geographers as to how space and place are both shaping, and being shaped by, this monumental transformation. Much of this work has focused on where knowledge-intensive industries and workers are locating and why [1,2,3,4], how place affects and is affected by the growth of these industries [5,6,7], and the role local governments and other organizations play in shaping knowledge industry clusters [8,9,10,11] In this broad and quickly expanding academic arena, Richard Florida has emerged as one of the primary voices, conceptualizing knowledge- or information-based industries as existing along a creativity spectrum. A major component of this strategy involves fostering a tolerant, safe, and vibrant urban atmosphere, which Florida terms “quality of place.”

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