Richard Florida's Column
column Articles
... but not for the reasons you think. One of the few things increasing as fast as the price of oil lately has been the amount of commentary linking higher energy costs to the death of suburbia. Clearly, higher gas prices have affected where people want – or can afford – to live. Just as the demand for SUVs plummets and consumers have finally begun to see the point of hybrids, people are turning away from sprawling exurbs toward urban neighbourhoods and inner suburbs. What matters now is quality of place, defined as the intersection of three key elements of our cities: what's there, who's there and what's going on. A mega-region needs to think and act like a mega-region, not like a bunch of separate cities with empty space between them. Fareed Zakaria: The end result will be a “landscape that is quite different from the one we have lived in until now – one defined and directed from many places and by many peoples.” "...we are experiencing modern history’s third great power shift, after the rise of the West from the 15th century on and then the rise of the U.S. in the 19th century." WE ARE ALL familiar with the rough geography of the United States — the slash of the Rocky Mountains between two great coastlines, the bulge of Maine, the Florida peninsula, the Great Lakes, set in the heartland. But what about the country’s psychogeography? WE ARE ALL familiar with the rough geography of the United States - the slash of the Rocky Mountains between two great coastlines, the bulge of Maine, the Florida peninsula, the Great Lakes, set in the heartland. But what about the country's psychogeography? "The diversity, of whatever kind, that is generated by cities rests on the fact that in cities so many people are so close together, and among them contain so many different tastes, skills, needs, supplies, and bees in their bonnets." Over the past decade or so, greater Portland has developed a well-deserved reputation as one of the nation's very best places to live. When people talk about economic competitiveness, the focus tends to be on nation states. In the 1980s, many were obsessed with the rise of Japan. Today, our gaze has shifted to the phenomenal growth of Brazil, Russia, India and China. But this focus on nations is off the mark. "The party that can bring together the working class and the creative class is likely to build a lasting majority" WHICH OF THESE two decisions do you think has a bigger impact on someone’s life: finding the right job, or finding the right significant other? No one’s going to argue with the notion that where you live affects your employment prospects. But the place you call home has a lot to do with your chances of finding the right partner as well. Having an enticing “mating market” matters as much or more than a vibrant labor market. From where I sit, Philadelphia's future looks very bright. Trust me: I know all about the issues that confront the city. I grew up in New Jersey, went to Rutgers, and spent much of my teens and 20s hanging out in Center City. I've seen the dark days and watched the recovery. For the past two weeks, all eyes have focused on Barack Obama and race. A couple of weeks ago, it was Hillary Clinton's gender. A month before that, it was all about the Obama surge among young voters. The Globe and Mail The Globe and Mail The Globe and Mail For decades we've heard that new transport and communication technologies - from the street car to the Internet - would make geography and place irrelevant... The Globe and Mail The most overlooked — but most important — element of my theory and of the creative economy itself is that every human being is creative. The Globe and Mail This is the first in a series of articles in which The Globe and Mail visits an iconic Toronto neighbourhood or event with Richard Florida.
|
Richard Florida ‘World's Leading Public Intellectual’ much anticipated Column is now available for syndication
Richard Florida is one of the world's leading public intellectuals. Esquire Magazine recently named him one of the Best and Brightest in America. He is author of the international bestselling book, The Rise of the Creative Class, which received the Washington Monthly's Political Book Award and was cited as a major breakthrough idea by the Harvard Business Review. He is now a regular columnist with The Globe and Mail, writing on global trends. His ideas have been featured in major ad campaigns from BMW and Apple and are being used globally to change the way regions and nations do business.
He has written articles for the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, and the Financial Times. He is founder of the Creative Class Group, a global advisory services firm in Washington, DC. He is Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Florida has been a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, a visiting professor at Harvard and MIT, and a visiting fellow of the Brookings Institution. Florida earned his Bachelor's degree from Rutgers College and his Ph.D. from Columbia University.
If you are interested in picking up this thought provoking column, please contact Leena.
