The Rise of the Creative Class

by Florida, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780465024766
• ISBN10: 0465024769
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-06-01
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

Many writers have commented on the massive social changes of the past few decades, but most of them have treated these shifts as something imposed on us, by technology or the marketplace. This is wrong, says Richard Florida: we've chosen to alter our values, work, and lifestyle, and for good economic reasons. Why have we done this?Florida finds the answer in the rise of a new social class. Like other classes, its basis is economic. Just as the feudal aristocracy derived its identity and values from its hereditary control of land and people, and the bourgeoisie derived its identity and values from its role as merchants of goods, the Creative Class derives its identity and values from its role as purveyors of creativity. When we see ourselves as "creative," our self-image affects the choices we make in every area of our lives.Based on a massive body of research, The Rise of the Creative Class chronicles the ongoing sea-change in people's choices and attitudes, and shows not only what's happening but also how it stems from a fundamental economic change. The Creative Class now comprises nearly forty million Americans, or more than 25% of all employed people. The choices these people make have already had a huge economic impact, and in the future they will determine how the workplace is organized, what companies will prosper or go bankrupt, and even which cities will thrive or wither.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
The Transformation of Everyday Life	1	(20)
PART ONE: THE CREATIVE AGE
The Creative Ethos	21	(23)
The Creative Economy	44	(23)
The Creative Class	67	(18)
PART TWO: WORK
The Machine Shop and the Hair Salon	85	(17)
The Horizontal Labor Market	102	(14)
The No-Collar Workplace	116	(13)
Managing Creativity	129	(15)
The Time Warp	144	(21)
PART THREE: LIFE AND LEISURE
The Experiential Life	165	(25)
The Big Morph (a Rant)	190	(25)
PART FOUR: COMMUNITY
The Power of Place	215	(20)
The Geography of Creativity	235	(14)
Technology, Talent and Tolerance	249	(18)
From Social Capital to Creative Capital	267	(16)
Building the Creative Community	283	(32)
The Creative Class Grows Up	315	(12)
Appendix	327	(26)
Notes	353	(30)
Acknowledgments	383	(4)
Index	387