One of creative placemaking’s original champions explains why she can’t get behind the field’s latest measurement efforts.
Richard Florida Redux and the Creative Placemaking Backlash
Richard Florida is all over the news again with the release of an updated, 10th-anniversary edition of his most famous book, The Rise of the Creative Class. I’m convinced that someone, someday is going to write a fantastic biography of Richard Florida. He’s such a fascinating figure: the symbol of a decidedly 21st-century concept of urbanismRead More
Creative Placemaking Has an Outcomes Problem
Federal policymakers and private philanthropists are spending millions of dollars on creative placemaking without having developed a clear and detailed theory of how it works.
Racism is alive and well
…and it manifests in housing markets: The findings from this exercise indicate that the preference estimates derived from our dynamic approach differ substantially from estimates derived from a comparable static demand model. For example, the per-year willingness to pay to avoid a 10-percent increase in the number violent crimes per 100,000 population is $586 (inRead More
Around the horn: straw poll edition
It’s been sitting there quietly for a little bit now, but Createquity now has a Facebook page. Feel free to sign up – I post interesting links there that don’t make it into the Around the Horn round up for one reason or another. PUBLIC POLICY AND THE ARTS – FEDERAL Teresa Eyring has aRead More
Reconstructing Florida
I’ve had a chance to look at the two papers that Richard Florida and his colleagues sent to me in response to my essay from last month criticizing the quantitative methodology used in his best-selling book, The Rise of the Creative Class. The short version is that (a) a lot of work has been doneRead More
On the Arts and Developing Communities
(photo by murcurialn, Flickr) As part of my independent study on public policy and the arts, I’ve been reviewing a significant amount of literature on the potential of artists and arts organizations to serve a revitalization role in so-called “transitional” neighborhoods and communities. While many studies show a clear relationship between the presence and densityRead More
Around the horn: redeye edition
This one will have to be quick because I’m leaving on a plane to California in a few hours. Busy, busy, busy! The Hewlett Foundation has finally released phase two of its Youth in the Arts report, conducted by Barry Hessenius. This edition used focus groups of young arts professionals to explore the implications ofRead More
Deconstructing Richard Florida
The Rise of the Creative Class was one of the most influential – and hotly debated – books of the past decade. Was all the fuss worth it?
Calling all arts policy geeks!
I’m submitting a proposal to organize two panels at the 2009 Net Impact National Conference at Cornell University in November. This event draws thousands of students and professionals annually (last year’s edition in Philadelphia attracted 2400!) and it’s a major driver of the national conversation about business and social impact. I’ve made it my missionRead More