The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 1,204 ratings · 133 reviews

The Washington Monthly 2002 Annual Political Book Award WinnerThe Rise of the Creative Class gives us a provocative new way to think about why we live as we do today-and where we might be headed. Weaving storytelling with masses of new and updated research, Richard Florida traces the fundamental theme that runs through a host of seemingly unrelated changes in American soci...more

Paperback, 464 pages

Published December 25th 2003 by Basic Books (first published January 28th 1955)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Best books for business

86th out of 100 books — 118 voters

The Leader's Guide to Radical Management by Stephen Denning

21st Century Leadership

29th out of 58 books — 14 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jun 12, 2007 Juli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: haveread

This book changed my expectations from and about community and society. If there are enough freaks, there won't be a need to conform - and oh MY! There are certainly enough freaks to go around.
Seriously, I think the creative class is coming hot on the heels of the industrialized society - I only hope I live long enough to see it really affect the deep south.

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 11, 2007 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having been present in a "creative" field for the last 4 years, this book offered nothing new in terms of insight, but was nonetheless an excellent collection of ideas put forward in an enthusiastic and progressive form. There are flaws, as there often are with books written primarily for a business audience but from a (more or less) sociological perspective. A comment from another reader review is both correct and completely irrelevant:

"total lack of understanding of the human effects of global...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2007 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: trends, business, educators

As an educator, this book was the third I have read of a similar vein - starting with the World is Flat, then Pink's A Whole New Mind, and now - The Rise of the Creative Class.

I read the newer version with the updated stats - that raised Denver's place in the Creative strata. The Creative Economy is a definite topic of discussion in our state, how to grab it, use it, and feed it. I think about that as a K-12 educator - how do we keep in step with the trends so that we can fulfill the expectation...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Elke Kleutghen added it

i do not know what to think of it. It started promising and i found myself nodding, yes, yes yes.. hmm yes. and than he repeats himself in about 100 ways to say the same statement over and over.

the glorification of the creative class is dripping off every sentence. He does his best not to look down on the working class or the service class, but firmly believes that the creative class are the new superiors. Urging cities to only provide for this class in order to attract them as that will revital...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 12, 2007 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Excellent speculative sociological text on changes to class definitions in modern society, namely, that traditional economic distinctions between classes are becoming less important than distinctions based on creative vs. rote work. He breaks workers into a creative class, a service sector, and the traditional industrial sector, and discusses changes in modern work and leisure patterns/daily life as a result of the "rise of the creative class" in America.

1 like · like · see review

Aug 22, 2011 Andrew added it

Shelves: policy-and-social-commentary

Oh, Richard Florida. So close and yet so far. I think his heart is in the right place, but, as a member of Florida's vaunted "creative class," I must kindly tell him his theory is fucked. And here's why:

--It's written from an unbelievably myopic, elite perspective. Much like Thomas Friedman, Florida seems utterly incapable of seeing the world beyond the veil of privilege that protects him and his fellow business gurus from the real world.

--Everything is bolstered by spurious quantitative methods...more

7 likes · like · see review

Aug 15, 2011 Stephanie W rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, nonfiction, social-science

The basic thesis of the book is that diverse, tolerant, creative urban centers attract people of the same disposition. It is those people who are the driving force of the economy and their desired lifestyle dictates their choice of city and ultimately their choice of occupation. Their lives are no longer dictated by their jobs like in the days of the Organization Man in the Grey Flannel Suit.

At the beginning of the book, I found myself agreeing with Florida's every word. Yet as the book progres...more The basic thesis of the book is that diverse, tolerant, creative urban centers attract people of the same disposition. It is those people who are the driving force of the economy and their desired lifestyle dictates their choice of city and ultimately their choice of occupation. Their lives are no longer dictated by their jobs like in the days of the Organization Man in the Grey Flannel Suit.

At the beginning of the book, I found myself agreeing with Florida's every word. Yet as the book progressed, he presented the same tired argument over and over. Not only that, but he presented the same graphs over and over. Or, they weren't the same graphs, but they looked exactly the same aside from the labeling of the x and y indexes. Now I have a thorough understanding that members of the creative class have been increasing over the last 40 years. I also understand there is a correlation though not causation between tech companies, homosexuality, bohemians, and immigration in major cities.

For an academic book, the facts were arguably quite soft. I will usually overlook soft science for a book that is accessible to the public at large. However, I would not even call this book accessible because even though it says "National Bestseller" on the title, I doubt this book received high readership outside of those core creative cities he already praises so highly. I doubt the book had high readership in Stockton CA, Amarillo TX, Yuma AZ or Myrtle Beach SC. (Note: these cities were taken from Appendix B table 1 listing cities and their ranks on the creativity index compared to tech sector, tolerance level and wage gap. These cities were listed among the lowest, and therefore, most lame).

I find it quite likely that this book was well received in Austin TX, San Francisco CA, Seattle WA and New York NY (some cities he lists as creative centers for their music, ethnic diversity, youth oriented culture, public outdoor spaces, acceptance of alternative lifestyles, etc. i.e. cities that are awesome). Perhaps I only agreed with this book's thesis because I work in an industry on the cusp of service and creative class (I'm a chef, you tell me) and live in the city he lists as a harbinger of the new age and economic system. No matter what, I could only read this book with a biased eye.

"Fuck yeah the Mission District is awesome!" I thought.

"Fuck yeah OpenSource software!" I thought later.

There was no way to turn a blind eye to the bias presented in the book. The author is from Pittsburg (which ranks 90 on the index and is ultimately more lame than San Francisco or Austin). Though he offers necessary advice that cities need to reform as creative centers first in order to attract talent, youth and economic vitality, he does so in a way that expresses what can practically be described as contempt for the unwillingness to deviate from traditional middle class values and suburban lifestyles. "Your sports teams and symphonies and opera won't bring in needed revenue for the city because that's not what people actually care about anymore" he states. "You need to invest in public parks, research based universities and all the best local culture."

I was accepting of this idea, but I'm pretty sure that's because I live in an area where it is cool to be alternative. But this book shouldn't be written for me or anyone who tries to foster the ideas of this book in their own lives. This book needs to find an audience in areas where the ideas are unpopular and counter-intuitive. I fear it will never find an audience in those areas where it is needed most.

Even though this was a necessary argument, it did not need to be made in a book. It could have been more effective magazine article for brevity is indeed the soul of wit. (less)

1 like · like · see review

May 08, 2012 Derek Simon rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found the ideas in this book intriguing and compelling, but I didn't find them totally convincing, for a few reasons.

First, Florida relies allot on anecdotal evidence instead of empirical evidence. While it sometimes makes for good storytelling, the fact that lots of people he talks to agree with him doesn't really provide strong proof for his ideas, it just proves that (like most of us), Richard Florida talks to allot of like minded people.

Second, he ignores the old maxim that correlation is...more

like · see review

Jun 08, 2010 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-and-liked-it

Carnegie Mellon University professor, Richard Florida provides an astute and extensively researched explanation of the massive cultural shifts in U.S. society over the last 30 years that have caused an entirely new social class to develop: the Creative Class. Numbering close to 40 million people, the creative class consists of workers whose intellectual energy is primarily applied to innovation, problem solving, and development of new products or services. A creative class member is distinguishe...more Carnegie Mellon University professor, Richard Florida provides an astute and extensively researched explanation of the massive cultural shifts in U.S. society over the last 30 years that have caused an entirely new social class to develop: the Creative Class. Numbering close to 40 million people, the creative class consists of workers whose intellectual energy is primarily applied to innovation, problem solving, and development of new products or services. A creative class member is distinguished from a working class or service class person by the fact that he or she has to figure out how to do something as opposed to just doing something that has already been figured out. The primary premise of Florida's book is that creative work brings the greatest economic benefit to society and distinct geographical regions with superior economic climates are forming around the creative workforce while leaving other areas stuck in the past and struggling to sustain their economies.

Creative workers occupy many fields like engineering, architecture, medicine, law, art, entertainment, design, media, education, and the sciences. Because the demands of creative work do not necessarily fit into a traditional regimented work day with precise start and stop times, employees have been needing and often getting flexible schedules, homier work environments, and lax dress codes. The growth of the creative workforce is also changing society. The recreational needs of creative workers are much different than shift workers of previous generations. Creative workers like individual sports like bicycling far more than team sports because they want to do something on their schedules, which are often erratic.

Creative workers deliver so much economic benefit to society because of the innovation that they are capable of producing. Whole new massive industries like personal computing emerged from passionate creative entrepreneurs. Creative workers can enable any business or industry to rise above its competitors by creating superior manufacturing systems, better management systems, better customer service, and of course brand new products that energize marketplaces.

Florida makes the point that the creative professionals of today are vastly different than the professionals of a few decades ago when the organizational model prevailed. During the organizational age, massive companies controlled their workforces with strict command and control models that eventually stifled innovation. However, the workers, if they towed the company line, could realistically expect lifetime employment and promotions as they climbed the corporate ladder. The ethos of the organizational age dissolved during the 1990s when companies across the board decided to downsize and outsource. Gone was the expectation of lifetime employment, and many workers, especially creative workers, quickly learned that loyalty to a company was a waste of time because they could get the sack at any moment regardless of doing good work. As a result, creative workers of all types have shown a great tendency, as documented by Florida's research, to congregate in regions that offer many job opportunities related to their chosen fields so they can find new jobs as necessary. Creative workers are also very finicky about where they live because they want to live in culturally stimulating environments with robust music scenes, theater, street festivals, and so forth. They also crave nice outdoor recreation areas like bike paths and green spaces as opposed to organized entertainments like theme parks. In fact, tasteless things like box stores and chain restaurants, which Florida labels generica, are anathema to creative workers.

Creative workers in general also crave tolerant societies in which to live. They need environments that easily welcome their quirky and often downright nerdy selves. This is why they tend to be attracted to enclaves of Bohemian style people like artists, writers, and musicians. Such tolerant areas, like the obvious example of San Francisco, almost always have strong gay communities too. Florida found a significant correlation between flourishing gay regions and the presence of creative economies. This was not because all gay people are creative, but gay people face a lot of discrimination and hatred and therefore congregate in tolerant regions. Therefore social tolerance was a leading indicator of a strong economic climate when compared to socially intolerant regions.

In addition to tolerance, creative economies also need access to technology, which is usually promoted by the presence of research universities. Talent was the final requirement for creating a strong creative economic region. Studies strongly showed that talented creative workers were likely to move to regions that had both tolerance and technologically innovative universities and companies. If one element was missing, then a break away creative economy could not come fully into bloom.

As a result, whole industries are starting to relocate to the robust centers of creative workforces so they can have talent pools from which to draw. Major examples of such regions cited by Florida were Austin, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle.

The author also seeks with this book to make creative workers conscious of their emerging and distinctive class. They have in general been very self absorbed, but Florida entreats them to play a more active role in the shaping of the country because the old school forces of the organizational age persist and tend to pursue ill-conceived and outdated projects that do not help the economy and sometimes even make it worse. The author basically harps on the wasted billions of dollars that governments and economic development corporations slather onto sports stadiums and shopping malls, which are proven to do nothing to enliven local economies. A successful economic future for the country is dependent on creative workers hauling the rest of the country into the twenty first century. Florida wants creative class members to push society toward a more creative model so that the vast untapped creative resources of people in other classes can be nourished instead of wasted. This would make people happier and improve the economy.

This book is tremendously well written. The author has an engaging style that is supported by abundant facts, statistics, and anecdotes. All creative workers should find that it rings very true with their personal experiences, beliefs, and tastes. I know it did for me. After reading this book, I consider myself enlightened to a reality that I felt but was not aware of intellectually or consciously. For anyone interested in understanding systemic problems with the U.S. economy and social trends, The Rise of the Creative Class is highly recommended and truly fascinating.
(less)

like · see review

Mar 02, 2009 s rated it 5 of 5 stars

i liked what one reviewer said--"if only they didn't simply corroborate the well-established idea that the "creative class" is simply a gentrification tool, rather than a sound investment and long-term backbone of a civic identity."

the book is fantastic--although the data is soft if using it purely for academic purposes. however, it only goes to show that the "creative class" is a "class" and as such will work in powerful and cutthroat ways.

on a side note--i read this book several years ago and...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2011 Eoghan rated it 2 of 5 stars

The basic thesis that a certain kind of diversity is a strong indicator for economic growth and success of a modern city is interesting, and the reasons he adduces for that seem reasonably accurate. I don't think his claims that his creatives constitute a new class that supersedes Marxist notions of class holds up - when someone is claiming in the space of a few pages that creatives can't be exploited because their creativity is the means of production and then describing how the same workers ar...more

like · see review

Aug 20, 2008 Janet rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: essay-general-nonfic

Didn't actually read the whole thing, but was impressed and intrigued by a chapter on my hometown Pittsburgh and its inability to rise above its industrial culture and attitudes. I see that, always have, and could never put my finger on why Pittsburgh just never felt like the kind of place I wanted to live as a free adult. Of course I still love and long for it...

1 like · like · see review

Jun 25, 2012 Liam rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Creativity involves the ability to synthesize. Einstein captured it nicely when he called his own work 'combinatory play.' It is a matter of sifting through data, perceptions and materials to come up with combinations that are new and useful. A creative synthesis is useful in such varied ways as producing a practical device, or a theory or insight that can be applied to solve a problem, or a work of art that can be appreciated. Creativity requires self-assurance and the ability to take risks."...more

like · see review

Aug 08, 2009 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

For those of us caught unawares, let it be known that the Working Class is dead. As a socio-political force, anyway. As is the Bourgeoisie. The Creative Class is what has risen to take its place and Richard Florida's 'Rise of the Creative Class' documents how it did so, how its impacted cities and towns across the nation, and how your city should adjust if it hopes to have a chance of catching on. The Creative Class is represented by cities like New York and Chicago, of course, but also Seattle...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 21, 2012 Liz rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-studies

yeah, it was pretty bad. it was not as bad as it could've been -- it makes some critiques of precarity which I honestly wasn't expecting -- but ultimately it's a fairly nauseating celebration of the blending of bohemian aesthetics and bourgeois lifestyles. also LOL at the idea that a job in "high-end sales" is a "core creative industry". the creative class *is* the old professional class. there's no change there except in people's ideas of cool, which now arguably have a greater focus on the app...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 17, 2010 Helynne rated it 5 of 5 stars

If a visitor from 1900 were plopped into the year 1950 and a visitor from 1950 had the chance to move forward into 2000, who would be the most shocked at the new society he/she would experience? It’s tempting to say the person from 1900 would be the most bowled over because of 1950 technology—cars, airplanes, films, TV, etc., However, author Richard Florida maintains that the 1950 visitor to 2000 would be even more surprised at the “deeper, more persuasive transformations” of the turn-of-the-21...more If a visitor from 1900 were plopped into the year 1950 and a visitor from 1950 had the chance to move forward into 2000, who would be the most shocked at the new society he/she would experience? It’s tempting to say the person from 1900 would be the most bowled over because of 1950 technology—cars, airplanes, films, TV, etc., However, author Richard Florida maintains that the 1950 visitor to 2000 would be even more surprised at the “deeper, more persuasive transformations” of the turn-of-the-21st-century world with its new lifestyles and world views—less racism, more embracing of diversity, tolereance of gays, and less patience with certain old school phenomena such as smoking; in short, “a time when the old order has broken down, when flux and uncertainty themselves seem to be part of the everyday norm” (4). In this lengthy and extensively documented study, Florida analyzes how the “multidimensional” nature of Creativity—with a capital C—has pervaded American life in recent decades and radically affected the economy, demographics, leisure, community, and attitudes in everyday life. “First, creativity is essential to the way we live and work today, and in many senses always has been” (21). Also, creativity is becoming less “radical” and more mainstream, and is becoming increasingly a vital economic force. The author identifies the most creative people in our society as first, the Creative Core; that is, people in occupations involving computer and mathematical skills, architecture and engineering, social science, education, library, arts, design, entertainment, sports and media. Second, there are Creative Professionals—people in business, management, health care, law, and high-end sales. He also identifies the much less creative and less fortunate folks in the working and service classes. Florida’s main theme is that it is the top two groups have the onus of leading the country in to a more sophisticated and innovative era than American has ever known before. ONe of his chapters is dedicated to the "three T's: technology, talent, and tolerance" that are all needed for creativity to usher in a better society. Another main premise is that the U.S. is now evolving from an “organizational age” in which decisions about companies, universities, etc., are made from a privileged few people at the top, to a creative structure where even low-rung factory workers are encouraged to contribute their own innovative input. The author recalls his father’s job as a worker in an eyeglass factor where he and his fellow workers were given a great amount of creative freedom. In the late 1960s when the factory went “organizational” and began hiring MBAs to oversee operations, the workers—including Florida’s father—became demoralized and left in droves (66). More and more people now demand creative work, and would even opt for a less lucrative job with more creative freedom over a high-paying post with too much structure. Chapter 6, entitled “The Machine Shop and the Hair Salon” discusses how few people now wish to be skilled, but routine, machinists, and instead, flock to beauty colleges where they can find challenge, flexibility, and most important at of all, passion for the work they do. Another interesting concept Florida describes is the modern tendency for people to seek an “experiential lifestyle”—one packed full of intense, high-quality, multi-dimensional experiences. Part of this involves “time deepening,” that is, the speeding up of activities to cram more experience into less time. For example, to replace tennis with raquet ball, which is over and done with faster than tennis. The many tables in this book show Florida’s meticulous studies and statistics that indicate which cities in the United States have the most creative people, productivity, and ambiance. Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and Austin, Texas are usually the top five in these tables in varying order. The results have to do with many factors—such as being in proximity to universities and/or research facilities—but some of the most important factors for regional creativity include tolerance for and desire to mingle with a great variety of people including those from all races, immigrants, and gays. There are so many more interesting concepts in this study but there isn’t room to mention them in detail. Florida ends with a charge to creative people everywhere to strive for a cohesiveness that will build more tolerant and productive communities that insist on authenticity in architecture and arts and shun a preponderance of generic strip malls, chain stores, and jaded, outmoded thinking. ‘The task of building a truly creative society is not a game of solitaire,” Florida concludes.’ “This game, we play as a team” (326). (less)

like · see review

Oct 25, 2009 Taz rated it 2 of 5 stars

A great idea but the 'research' was pretty unconvincing unfortunately because i really wanted to believe it.
Australia is an old-school industrialised country. I have long be disappointed by the work options here in a country where there is plenty of innovation and creatives (they almost all go overseas) our top industries are manufacturing, mining and retail/services. There's very little for anyone who wants to live a creative life with creative work. Still there are pockets of resistance and p...more

like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 Tressie Mcphd rated it 2 of 5 stars

It's not a bad book or a bad premise. There are knowledge producers in this world. I get it. I've seen Florida speak and I think I've read two of his three books. Look, it's seductive as hell, OK? It makes a person who keeps a GoodReads account feel good to hear that they may be on the social status come-up. I won't front. I am probably who this book is talking about. But I also know that we've always had a class of creators to some extent. I also know that the creative class won't save us. More...more

like · see review

Jun 25, 2009 Eric Miller rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you are interested in the short-term, plant crops. If you are interested in the medium-term, plant buildings. If you are interested in the long-term, plant people.”
Lewis Mumford

The increasing numbers of what Richard Florida calls the "creative class" want diverse, tolerant, interesting, and lively cities where they are free to be who they are. They want a business culture that welcomes deviation from the norm. They want to work when they want to work and, time-crunched, they want unique ent...more

like · see review

Jun 26, 2009 Lily rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people (esp. twentysomethings) who want to move somewhere/ find a good place to live

By creative, they don't mean artists and writers and such but also scientists and computer programmers, management, lawyers, healthcare, and anyone who is a "knowledge worker" or lives by their brains. Basically, everyone- except working class, service industry, and agriculture.

how attitudes towards work have changed; the working conditions under which creative people like to operate and thrive; the things that attract creative people to a place, why certain areas of america/ cities are growing...more

like · see review

Feb 22, 2013 Dan Mccarthy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Time has demonstrated just how important this book as. Florida's focus in on the dynamics of groups and the impact of proximity on innovation. The Great Recession proved how his observations about the fragility of the boomtowns that had developed during the 2000s. The book is important to read to understanding the vitality of emerging metropolises and round the globe, the necessity of maintaining mobility in the creative class, and the ways that innovators self-organize. Florida's focus on publi...more

like · see review

Jan 22, 2009 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pretty fascinating. I tried reading this book about a year ago, but it never stuck. This time I was pretty into it. I'd say that working at a small internet startup company helps a lot. There are certain things in the book that are right on point. Richard Florida described a lot of the things I've been experiencing at work to the fuckin letter. It doesn't change any of the miscommunication I experience at work, but at least the book defines it. It's nice to know that these trends are nationwide,...more

like · see review

Dec 01, 2011 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: culture-and-politics, favorites

This a book about economy that does not lament over today's changing values, and does not agonize over a hypothetical future. Instead, Richard Florida seeks to analyze the pieces that make up our present-day system in a fact-based, yet compassionate way. That is reason number one why his work appeals to me.

The second reason is that I strongly identify myself with his construct of the "creative worker", and in this way he includes me as an essential part of the larger system. Although this is the...more

like · see review

Feb 26, 2011 Kirsten rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People engaged in creative jobs, people intrested in changing economics

Shelves: 2011, current-events, economics, non-fiction, social-phenomenon

I thought this book was really interesting. It laid out a coherent argument for all of the things that I had vaguely been hearing complaints about from the older generations about the workplace and how things are changing.
As a potential member of the creative workforce, it was interesting for me to see the changing trends, and I am appreciative of the fact that they're changing to be more like how things are at universities, because I work well in those settings, better than I do in the traditi...more

like · see review

Sep 21, 2007 Joshua rated it 2 of 5 stars

What could have been an effective article for a journal is stretched into a 400+ page book. The thesis is nothing new, and nothing that anyone in the creative field hasn't known and professed all along. As a book obviously targeted to people who aren't necessarily in the creative field, it may do some good in putting some numbers behind the claims that cultural richness is actually good for the economic well being of cities. If only his conclusions were stronger; if only they didn't simply corro...more

like · see review

Mar 21, 2007 ari rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: purveyors of society

Shelves: non-fiction

What I love about this book is that it got me thinking a great deal about alternatives to the standard process of having a 9-5 job. Of course, big picture, the book is about much more than that, namely the importance of these individuals in the continuing economic well-being of the U.S. However, my disputes with his thesis, that "creatives" are behind this economic growth, stem mostly from the conclusions that he draws from his data, and the breadth of personal anecdotes that he uses to prove hi...more

like · see review

Aug 07, 2012 lilly rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who liked freakonomics, but wanted more with sounder anthropology.

This book does a lot of economic analysis, looking at the relationship between demographics and economic development. The author finds some fascinating correlations and then does interviews and field work to figure out the whys behind the numbers, providing a fascinating account of what makes creative people tick. Written as an regional development book, it is fascinating for any relatively nerdy and/or sociology-loving human.

8 years after I first read this, learning what I learned moving from b...more

like · see review

Sep 13, 2008 Frederik rated it 4 of 5 stars

Le livre essaie d´écrire les facteurs déterminants dans la croissance économique de notre époque. Ce qui surprend le plus est la méthode: Florida utilise des indices comme bobo, tolérance vis-á-vis de homosexuels, et politique d´immigration comme principaux éléments. Cela explique pourqoui des endroits comme Austin, Texas et San Francisco, Californie se débrouillent mieux que des endroits Birmingham, Mississipi. En Europe, des pays comme la Suede et la Finlande poursuivit par l´Irlande et le Dan...more

like · see review

May 08, 2012 Andrea Slot rated it 3 of 5 stars

An interesting book about revisiting the way we view "class" in the U.S., but the book is longer than it needs to be and a little thin on evidence for some of the key ideas (as, for example, the look at the lifestyles of the creative class). Still, I've used this book for my freshmen comp classes and it worked well as a foundational text for jumpstarting conversations concerning class, community, the economy and its link to innovation, etc.

like · see review

Aug 05, 2012 Shari rated it 1 of 5 stars

While this work is researched and includes lovely charts and graphs, Richard Florida's conclusions just don't follow from his data. The class of people he dubs creative are just fairly well educated average folks associated more by income bracket, and the income bracket of their parents, than by any contribution to society. Having workers of a higher income bracket raises the average income of your neighborhood. Indeed.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (11)

More editions...

Videos About This Book

Richard Florida: The Rise of the Creative Class

Add a comment

Genres

Non Fiction

60 users

Sociology

32 users

Business

27 users

Economics

23 users

Culture

16 users

Cities > Urbanism

6 users

Culture > Society

6 users

Social Science

6 users

Cities > Urban Planning

5 users

Science

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Richard Florida

Richard Florida (born 1957 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American urban studies theorist.
Richard Florida's focus is on social and economic theory. He is currently a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management, at the University of Toronto. He also heads a private consulting firm, the Creative Class Group.
Prof. Florida received a PhD from Columbia Univers...more

More about Richard Florida...

Books by Richard Florida

Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life

The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity

The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent

The Rise of the Creative Class--Revisited

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Rise of the C...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life
avg rating	preview: The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Lif Goodreads rating: 3.65 (1204 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60042.The_Rise_of_the_Creative_Class?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348245825l/60042.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60042.The_Rise_of_the_Creative_Class?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life by Richard Florida[/url]

The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website