The Owl, the City and the Creative Class

Abstract

Florida has argued that, for innovation to thrive, urban places must stimulate those engaged in creative work. This article reviews the idea of the creative class, what attracts it and responses to Florida's propositions. It places the idea in the context of recent thought on economic development, historically creative and innovative cities, economic and technological history and renaissance ideas of science, civic life and city design. It considers the corporate status of American cities and concludes by proposing that suburban and urban places require stronger interconnection because the management of Coasean transaction costs is shifting from firms to the urban place.