Article on Richard Florida

Here’s an interesting article on Richard Florida and the thoughts on what make a city thrive and grow. I think this is particularly relevant to bloggers, who clearly fall into Florida’s ‘creative’ crowd and whom many view as a source of growth. But, I think this also ties into community and issues of only talking to ourselves, since many of the criticisms of Florida revolve around Latte-class elitism, similar to criticisms of bloggers and their impact on the society and economy at large.

Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Ideas / The road to riches?

THE ECONOMY MAY have been flat for the last two years, but Richard Florida is soaring. The Carnegie Mellon business professor’s 2002 book “The Rise of the Creative Class” connected with something in the public psyche. It heralded the arrival of a new breed of American worker: educated, ambitious, hip, probably a mountain biker, ready to dump a job whenever hit with the slightest urge for a “life shift.” These workers differ from the old Organization Man in many ways, but this difference is crucial: Creative-class members want not just decent jobs and good schools but “authentic” neighborhoods, Thai food, a happening arts scene, and — most importantly — proximity to other “creatives.”