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Files / Working Papers

Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports : Can Low-Wage Workers Find Better Jobs?

There is growing concern over rising economic inequality, the decline of the middle class, and a polarization of the U.S. workforce. This study authored by Richard Florida, Todd Gabe, and Jaison R. Abel, examines the extent to which low-wage workers in the United States transition to better jobs, and explores the factors associated with uch a move up the job ladder.

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November 15, 2018
Rise of the Creative Class News Articles

The Detroit Free Press : Design industries are critical to Detroit’s future but need nurturing

Back in 2002, urban guru Richard Florida published his influential book “The Rise of the Creative Class,” which highlighted the importance of so-called “creatives” — artists, graphic designers, architects, and others — to the vitality of cities trying to overcome long-term decline. Florida’s book helped set the agenda for many a city, including Detroit, where the CEO group Business Leaders for Michigan launched the Detroit Creative Corridor Center in 2010.

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November 15, 2018
Miami Urban Future Initiative

PR Newswire : Miami Startups Receive $1.3 Billion in Venture Capital – 8th in the U.S.

Miami ranks eighth among large U.S. metros for the total amount of venture capital invested in its high-tech startups ($1.3 billion in 2016), according to a new research brief from the FIU + CCG | Miami Urban Future Initiative (MUFI). The brief also finds that Miami’s high-tech companies each earned an average of $14.2 million in venture capital investment in 2016—the second-highest share among large metros.

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November 15, 2018
Opinion EditorialsRichard Florida Columns

Toronto Star : Canada should be winning even more Olympic gold

With the help of his colleagues at the University of Toronto’s Martin Prosperity Institute, Patrick Adler and Charlotta Mellander, Richard Florida ranked Canada’s, and each nation’s Olympic medal performance relative to their population, size of their economy and number of athletes on their Olympic teams. So, how does Canada’s performance measure up on metrics like these?

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November 15, 2018
Miami Urban Future Initiative

Urban Land Magazine : As Art Revitalizes Urban Neighborhoods, Maintaining Affordability Remains a Challenge

In February, MUFI held it’s 2nd event hosted by ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean gathering a panel of researchers, real estate developers, and economic development agencies at the new Arts & Entertainment District—the latest neighborhood to emerge as a cultural destination for city residents—to address these persistent challenges and offer some solutions for driving more inclusive development by attracting a creative class.

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February 20, 2018
Profiles and Interviews

Gecina Interview : [#Remarks by Richard Florida] Why 2018 will be the year (or not) of the “real estate tech” movement?

Interview with Bernard Michel, Chairman of Gecina French Real Estate Investment Trust. For Richard Florida, the real estate tech movement is a key part of the inclusive urban development and the future of work. But technology as « pharmakon », is also a reality that we need to consider in order to avoid falling into a dystopian scenario: the metropolisation vortex.

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February 12, 2018
Miami Urban Future Initiative

Brief : Benchmarking Miami’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Miami metro—which spans Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties—is an aspiring hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. While Miami has long been a breeding ground for small businesses, the economic value of these businesses has historically trailed behind that of leading tech hubs like the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, Seattle, and Boston-Cambridge. But the tide appears to be turning in Miami’s favor.The following research brief from the Miami Urban Future Initiative provides a data-driven assessment of the economic growth and competitiveness of the Miami metro, comparing its performance in recent years to all 53 of America’s large metros with populations of more than one million people.

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February 6, 2018
Miami Urban Future Initiative

Miami Herald : Miami wants to be a creative hub. Here’s what might keep that from happening.

The report, Benchmarking Miami’s Talent Base, is the latest in a series of research briefs produced by the FIU-Creative Class joint venture. The multi-year initiative was underwritten by the Knight Foundation to help local business and civic leaders learn more about where Miami stands in comparison to other U.S. cities in fostering the sort of knowledge-driven occupations necessary to compete in the modern economy.

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February 6, 2018
Miami Urban Future Initiative

PR Newswire : Miami’s Creative Workforce Ranks 11th Among Large U.S. Metros

FIU + CCG |MIAMI URBAN FUTURE INITIATIVE RESEARCH BRIEF: Benchmarking Miami’s Talent Base. In its latest research report, “Benchmarking Miami’s Talent Base,” MUFI evaluates Miami’s human capital assets compared to 52 large U.S. metros with more than one million people. Supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the report specifically examines Miami’s creative workforce, educational attainment levels, and share of students, faculty, and college and university graduates.

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February 6, 2018
CitiesOpinion EditorialsRichard Florida Columns

CNN : The disturbing part about Amazon’s HQ2 competition

Amazon’s short list of contenders for its much ballyhooed HQ2 reads like a who’s who of the most economically vibrant and dynamic cities in North America. There’s one part of Amazon’s HQ2 competition that is deeply disturbing — pitting city against city in a wasteful and economically unproductive bidding war for tax and other incentives. As one of the world’s most valuable companies, Amazon does not need — and should not be going after — taxpayer dollars that could be better used on schools, parks, transit, housing or other much needed public goods.

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February 6, 2018
Miami Urban Future Initiative

Report: Miami’s New Urban Crisis

Greater Miami has experienced remarkable economic success in recent years. The metro area—which spans Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties—is now the eighth-largest in the United States, with around 6.1 million residents and economic output that exceeds that of many nations. As a symbol of Miami’s dramatic growth, its downtown has been stunningly transformed into a bustling area featuring new restaurants and hotels, an expanding cluster of startup companies, and a twenty-first century skyline of high-rise offices and condo towers.

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January 26, 2018
Miami Urban Future Initiative

Brief: Benchmarking Miami’s Talent Base

Talent is a key driver of advanced economies. Highly educated and skilled individuals drive income, wages, and economic growth in cities and metros across the globe. As Miami aspires to the ranks of leading global cities, how does its talent base stack up? The following research brief from the Miami Urban Future Initiative provides a data-driven assessment of the Miami metro’s talent base, comparing its performance in recent years to all 53 of America’s large metros with populations of more than one million people.

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January 26, 2018
The New Urban Crisis Press

Co.Design : 10 Must-Read Design Books To Get You Ready For 2018

The title of urbanism theorist Richard Florida’s latest book–The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It–outlines the defining tensions in our cities today. In earlier writing, Florida defined many of the progressive notions about how the creative class could drive social and economic progress, but these notions have fallen short. In this book, he reckons with the failings and promise of his theories, and suggests course corrections to help cities become more equitable.

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January 4, 2018
Miami Urban Future Initiative

WLRN (Video): The Super City of Miami; The Hungry Blackman

South Florida offers a plethora of dining options from all nationalities catering to different tastes, whims and budgets. Many self-proclaimed “foodies,” lovers of food, take it upon themselves to write about their experiences traveling to different eateries around the Magic City and beyond.

Miami blogger Starex Smith does just that, traveling and writing about his experiences as a hungry black man. In his blog, The Hungry Blackman, Smith mixes reviews, restaurant recommendations and profiles from the different establishments that he visits locally and in different states.

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December 12, 2017
Miami Urban Future Initiative

Markets Insider : Miami Urban Future Initiative Research Report: Miami Ranks 6th Among Large U.S. Metros on the New Urban Crisis Index

Miami faces growing challenges of inclusion and affordability. According to a new analysis by the FIU | Miami Urban Future Initiative, the Miami metropolitan area ranks sixth among large U.S. metros on the New Urban Crisis Index, a composite measure of economic inequality, economic segregation, and housing unaffordability.

The Miami Urban Future Initiative is a joint effort between the Creative Class Group and Florida International University’s College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA), funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, to develop new research for building a stronger and more inclusive economy in Miami.

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December 11, 2017
Miami Urban Future Initiative

PR Newswire : Miami Urban Future Initiative Research Report: Miami Ranks 6th Among Large U.S. Metros on the New Urban Crisis Index

Miami faces growing challenges of inclusion and affordability. According to a new analysis by the FIU | Miami Urban Future Initiative, the Miami metropolitan area ranks sixth among large U.S. metros on the New Urban Crisis Index, a composite measure of economic inequality, economic segregation, and housing unaffordability.The Miami Urban Future Initiative is a joint effort between the Creative Class Group and Florida International University’s College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA), funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, to develop new research for building a stronger and more inclusive economy in Miami.

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December 11, 2017
The New Urban Crisis Press

What The Future Project 2017 : Question: Will today’s high-end urban amenities become tomorrow’s status quo?

Nearly 20 years ago, urban theorist Richard Florida identified a group of highly-skilled workers whose outsized contributions were driving economic change and development in cities around the globe. His book, “the Rise of the Creative Class” detailed the characteristics of this type of worker and more importantly how to nurture and attract them. Its core findings were adopted by mayors worldwide. The trends identified in Florida’s research contributed to the seismic shifts, growth and revitalization in downtowns large and small. Those changes have not been painless for all involved and have lead to what Florida, in his new book, calls the “New Urban Crisis.” So when Richard Florida asks What the Future, he wonders if developers are recognizing the new realities.

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November 14, 2017
The New Urban Crisis Press

Forbes : Invest In Cities To Narrow The Inequality Gap

Fortunately, when it comes to cities, there is Richard Florida, director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and author of The Rise of the Creative Class, which explained how a new generation of people was reviving ailing industrial centres. Now, he is explaining how that trend is, among other factors, helping to intensify the issues confronting many urban centres. The New Urban Crisis is subtitled “Gentrification, Housing Bubbles, Growing Inequality and What We Can Do About It”, and, while Florida’s analysis of how we got here is unsurprisingly insightful, it is that last bit that is crucial.

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November 14, 2017
Files / Working Papers

MPI : Winner-Take-All Cities

This chapter examines the phenomenon of “winner-take-all urbanism” and “winner
-take-all cities.” Large segments of the modern economy have been shown to conform to a “winner-take-all” pattern as superstar talent draws a disproportionate share of economic rewards.

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November 2, 2017
Opinion EditorialsRichard Florida Columns

The Financial Times : The downside of the race to be Amazon’s second home

The bids to host Amazon’s much ballyhooed second headquarters are in from dozens of cities across the US and Canada. With its promise of 50,000-plus jobs and billions in investment, it has been hailed as one of the biggest urban development opportunities in recent memory. However, things are not working out exactly as the ecommerce group may have hoped. Resentment among city leaders is growing at what looks like a big, well-capitalised company taking advantage of cities and their taxpayers.

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October 25, 2017
EventsThe New Urban Crisis Press

Urban Land Magazine : Richard Florida Notes Unexpected Effects of the Creative Class’s Rise

As Florida explained in a talk at the 2017 ULI Fall Meeting in Los Angeles, he warned of “a growing divide between places that are winning and places that are failing to keep up.” That societal split is the subject of his latest book, The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class—and What We Can Do About It.

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October 25, 2017
Opinion EditorialsRichard Florida Columns

Nature : Comment: Where the streets are paved with ideas

Most of the world’s research and entrepreneurship is concentrated in a few megacities.Innovation is geographically uneven. The world’s 40 richest mega-regions — expansive conurbations such as the Boston–New York–Washington DC corridor, Greater London, or the passage that runs from Shanghai to Beijing — account for more than 85% of the world’s patents, and 83% of the most-cited scientists. And yet, only 18% of the world’s population lives in them.

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October 19, 2017

The Creativity index appeared to be one of the best metrics to understand sales performance at Cirque. And correlation are strong, therefor we will be now using this metric to anticipate sales performance and better forecast.

Alexandre AlleMarket Insight Advisor, Cirque du Soleil