Richard Florida: " Arts and cultural organizations are critical assets to economic development"
Richard Florida is the author of 'The Great Reset' and Professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Under what conditions could cultural attractiveness be a vector of performance for a territory? What does the presence of artists and creators bring to a territory?
Richard Florida:
Artists and creators help regions, cities and regions create a sense of social inclusion and authenticity. Economic prosperity relies on cultural, entrepreneurial, civic, scientific, and artistic creativity. Creative workers with these talents need communities, organizations, and peers that are open to new ideas and different people. They also look to places that are authentic and unique and the large presence of artists helps a community create an identity that is distinctive. Places receptive to new forms of culture, alternative lifestyles and identities and new views on social status and power structures will benefit significantly in the creative age.
Is there a threshold effect from which cultural attractiveness creates economic performance?
Richard Florida:
For communities to be truly appealing to the Creative Class, they must provide access to cultural amenities such as: performing arts, galleries, theaters, parks, and restaurants. Recently, the Americans for the Arts released a study detailing the economic impact of the arts, which found that, nationwide, the arts had positively impacted communities in the ballpark of $166 billion. In addition, the Pew Research Center recently found that for every dollar government invests in the arts there is a $5 multiplier effect.
It is not surprising that communities and public leaders are engaging the arts as a revitalization mechanism. Philadelphia's center city is a fabulous example of the impact of arts revitalization. As more galleries and public spaces began to open, more residents returned downtown for dinner and evenings out, resulting in a more vibrant and safer center city. Investment into the arts provides public leaders with a viable alternative to the large capital investments such as stadiums, convention centers, etc. Leaders can invest cautiously in the arts and help foster the organic development of a creative scene that is unique to their community.
Should the effective reinforcement of the cultural attractiveness of a territory necessarily imply a strong symbolic project?
Richard Florida:
Absolutely. Creative workers need and want to live in authentic and culturally attractive communities. Arts and culture when intrinsically tied to a community help to create a sense place that is unique and appealing to creative workers. Arts and culture can also help highlight a community's soul, history, and uniqueness. An authentic place offers us characteristics to define ourselves and a physical and figurative space in which to live. Art can help to place a connection between the authentic identity around us and the place we live.
What are the future projects that could fit in such a cultural attractiveness dynamic?
Richard Florida:
I am chairing the launch of the Philips Livable Cities Award. This year-long program honors outside-of-the-box thinkers who have ideas that demonstrate simple, practical solutions for improving the health and well-being of the people living, working, and playing in their city. I am joined by an international panel of experts who are helping to develop the award criteria. The initiative was introduced to highlight the complex challenges faced by the residents of today’s cities and to encourage individuals, community groups, and businesses to develop novel strategies and solutions that can help their communities become more livable, sustainable, and prosperous, and can be readily executed and replicated in communities worldwide.
How could the links between cultural attractiveness and employment be characterized?
Richard Florida:
More than ever before, economic development is about talent attraction and retention. In the global economy, regions must create a community that is attractive for creative workers. The Creative Class seeks communities which are open, diverse, and thick with amenities (a vibrant arts scene, good restaurants, a safe community, etc).
Arts and cultural organizations are critical assets to economic development; they add value to the bottom line of any regional economy. Arts organizations should be interacting with the local economic development organization and public leaders to evaluate investments and the "return" on them (i.e. increased community involvement, more arts awareness, and fostering a niche talent).
Titelfoto: Ed Schipul
Under what conditions could cultural attractiveness be a vector of performance for a territory? What does the presence of artists and creators bring to a territory?
Richard Florida:
Artists and creators help regions, cities and regions create a sense of social inclusion and authenticity. Economic prosperity relies on cultural, entrepreneurial, civic, scientific, and artistic creativity. Creative workers with these talents need communities, organizations, and peers that are open to new ideas and different people. They also look to places that are authentic and unique and the large presence of artists helps a community create an identity that is distinctive. Places receptive to new forms of culture, alternative lifestyles and identities and new views on social status and power structures will benefit significantly in the creative age.
Is there a threshold effect from which cultural attractiveness creates economic performance?
Foto: David Bering
For communities to be truly appealing to the Creative Class, they must provide access to cultural amenities such as: performing arts, galleries, theaters, parks, and restaurants. Recently, the Americans for the Arts released a study detailing the economic impact of the arts, which found that, nationwide, the arts had positively impacted communities in the ballpark of $166 billion. In addition, the Pew Research Center recently found that for every dollar government invests in the arts there is a $5 multiplier effect.
It is not surprising that communities and public leaders are engaging the arts as a revitalization mechanism. Philadelphia's center city is a fabulous example of the impact of arts revitalization. As more galleries and public spaces began to open, more residents returned downtown for dinner and evenings out, resulting in a more vibrant and safer center city. Investment into the arts provides public leaders with a viable alternative to the large capital investments such as stadiums, convention centers, etc. Leaders can invest cautiously in the arts and help foster the organic development of a creative scene that is unique to their community.
Should the effective reinforcement of the cultural attractiveness of a territory necessarily imply a strong symbolic project?
Foto: Ianiv & Arieanna
Absolutely. Creative workers need and want to live in authentic and culturally attractive communities. Arts and culture when intrinsically tied to a community help to create a sense place that is unique and appealing to creative workers. Arts and culture can also help highlight a community's soul, history, and uniqueness. An authentic place offers us characteristics to define ourselves and a physical and figurative space in which to live. Art can help to place a connection between the authentic identity around us and the place we live.
What are the future projects that could fit in such a cultural attractiveness dynamic?
Richard Florida:
I am chairing the launch of the Philips Livable Cities Award. This year-long program honors outside-of-the-box thinkers who have ideas that demonstrate simple, practical solutions for improving the health and well-being of the people living, working, and playing in their city. I am joined by an international panel of experts who are helping to develop the award criteria. The initiative was introduced to highlight the complex challenges faced by the residents of today’s cities and to encourage individuals, community groups, and businesses to develop novel strategies and solutions that can help their communities become more livable, sustainable, and prosperous, and can be readily executed and replicated in communities worldwide.
How could the links between cultural attractiveness and employment be characterized?
Richard Florida:
Foto: tyfn
Arts and cultural organizations are critical assets to economic development; they add value to the bottom line of any regional economy. Arts organizations should be interacting with the local economic development organization and public leaders to evaluate investments and the "return" on them (i.e. increased community involvement, more arts awareness, and fostering a niche talent).
Titelfoto: Ed Schipul
Related videos:
- The future of cultural goods - one of the main topics at the Forum d’Avignon
- Forum d'Avignon 2010 - Culture will not survive when given away free of charge
- Creative Spaces / Places - What can Brussels learn from Toronto
Related blogs:
- Bernard Stiegler: "Economic prosperity relies on creativity"
- Hélène Guenin: “There is not one set of conditions to secure the development of creative quarters”
- Interview with Joichi Ito
- Alain Seban: "It is important to give back pride tothe local populations"
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Mo, 08.11.2010
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