The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday ...
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 l...
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Jun 12, 2007
Juli
rated it: 
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.
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.
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Jun 11, 2007
Michael
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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 o More...
"total lack of understanding o More...
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Dec 29, 2007
Diane
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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 t More...
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 t More...
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Jul 27, 2011
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...
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...
Jul 12, 2007
Bonnie
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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.
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Aug 22, 2011
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 More...
--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 More...
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Aug 15, 2011
Stephanie
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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 More...
At the beginning of the book, I found myself agreeing with Florida's every word. Yet as the More...
Jun 08, 2010
Tracy
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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
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Mar 02, 2009
s
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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.
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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.
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Jan 21, 2011
Eoghan
rated it: 
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 a
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Aug 20, 2008
Janet
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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...
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Aug 08, 2009
Andrea
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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 Seat
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Jun 18, 2010
Helynne
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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-th
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Oct 25, 2009
Tasmin
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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 More...
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 More...
Jun 25, 2009
Eric
rated it:
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-cr More...
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-cr More...
Jun 26, 2009
Lily
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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 ameri More...
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 ameri More...
Jan 22, 2009
Jeffrey
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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,
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Dec 03, 2011
Kate
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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 More...
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 More...
Feb 26, 2011
Kirsten
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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 More...
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 More...
Sep 21, 2007
Joshua
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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
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Mar 21, 2007
ari
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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 t
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Sep 13, 2008
Frederik
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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
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Sep 21, 2011
Ege
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The book was uplifting and inspiring, although i agree that it was a bit repetitive and agree with the reviewer who asked how a world could be without its pizza delivery guys. I would like to read more from him, if he did/can write it, about the global dimension (as a member of a 'norm-setting class', he is also responsible to engage a wider, global audience) and about how a more equalized world would look like in detail..
May 10, 2010
Cheree
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I used to think that there was something wrong with me. That I just didn't fit into any of the jobs that I had. Then I finally got a job in a relatively creative place and all seemed right. This book showed me that creative places and jobs abound, you just need to look in the right place. I was very inspired by this book and thankful to learn that the things I am striving for are sought by many. Great read.
Mar 22, 2010
Tara
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This was a very interesting book about the rise of the Creative Class and how attracting them is important to economic development. Most of the book talks about how the nature of business, industry, and class structure has evolved over time. I bought it basically for Part 4 which talks about community and the research and statistics that back which factors are important in attracting and maintaining creative/technology type businesses which, in turn, will drive economic growth.
Apr 17, 2010
Jimt43
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This book is an example (and there are many) of someone who had an idea good enough for an HBR article (as Florida did write as I recall) but no where near enough info and interesting ideas to produce a 400+ page epistle. I stopped long ago at page 225 and have just decided to give up on ever finishing it. Hint, read his HBR article and you will have everything you need to know.
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Nov 28, 2011
Nic
rated it:
The notion of the creative class as a) the driving force of innovation and economic growth and b) as something which can be nurtured and should become self aware is a powerful one for understanding modern society. Hence this book is an important one.
It is a little over intellectual and self indulgent in places though.
For reference - members of the creative class range from musicians to engineers - ie anyone who exercises creativity in their work rather than follows instructi More...
It is a little over intellectual and self indulgent in places though.
For reference - members of the creative class range from musicians to engineers - ie anyone who exercises creativity in their work rather than follows instructi More...
Jan 22, 2008
Justin
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I remember when the "creative" cities approach was a revelation in bringing back disinvested cities from the brink of fiscal disaster. Since Florida's articles were published and compiled into this book, I think it's safe to say this theory has seriously been deflated over the past several years. Obviously the importance of having a diverse economy and the "creative" gravity to draw new residents adds to the overall attractiveness and vitality of cities, but to market cities
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Feb 20, 2009
Jason
rated it:
A bit more about brand building for the author than about substance. Though, it did get me a job once.
I saw it on the book shelf of an interviewer and asked him what he thought. One thing led to another...
So, nice try on the book but thanks for the job Richard Florida!
I saw it on the book shelf of an interviewer and asked him what he thought. One thing led to another...
So, nice try on the book but thanks for the job Richard Florida!
Apr 01, 2009
Fletcher
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Part sociology and part business text, Florida tries to understand the rise of the "New Economy" in terms of social support systems. Interesting, but ultimately I am left wondering whether this text has any relevance 8 years on in the midst of a depression.
