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"/> The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life: Richard Florida: 9781864032567: Amazon.com: Books
www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
Buy Used
$4.10
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by Jenson Online Inc
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: :
Comment: A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use but remains in great condition. The item is complete, unmarked, and undamaged, but may show some limited signs of wear. Item works perfectly.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
\n \n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life Paperback – December 23, 2003

by
Richard Florida (Author)
› Visit Amazon's Richard Florida Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author? Learn about Author Central
Richard Florida (Author)
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 society: the growing role of creativity in our economy.Just as William Whyte's 1956 classic The Organization Man showed how the organizational ethos of that age permeated every aspect of life, Florida describes a society in which the creative ethos is increasingly dominant. Millions of us are beginning to work and live much as creative types like artists and scientists always have-with the result that our values and tastes, our personal relationships, our choices of where to live, and even our sense and use of time are changing. Leading the shift are the nearly 38 million Americans in many diverse fields who create for a living-the Creative Class.The Rise of the Creative Class chronicles the ongoing sea of 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 more than thirty percent of the entire workforce. Their choices have already had a huge economic impact. 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.
Best Books of the Month
See the Best Books of the Month
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Best Books of the Month
Best Books of the Month
Want to know our Editors' picks for the best books of the month? Browse Best Books of the Month, featuring our favorite new books in more than a dozen categories.

Product Details

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Florida, an academic whose field is regional economic development, explains the rise of a new social class that he labels the creative class. Members include scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists, and entertainers. He defines this class as those whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content. In general this group shares common characteristics, such as creativity, individuality, diversity, and merit. The author estimates that this group has 38 million members, constitutes more than 30 percent of the U.S. workforce, and profoundly influences work and lifestyle issues. The purpose of this book is to examine how and why we value creativity more highly than ever and cultivate it more intensely. He concludes that it is time for the creative class to grow up--boomers and Xers, liberals and conservatives, urbanites and suburbanites--and evolve from an amorphous group of self-directed while high-achieving individuals into a responsible, more cohesive group interested in the common good. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A pioneering cartographer of talent." -- Fast Company

"An intellectual tour de force, scholarly yet colorfully written." -- Globe and Mail (Toronto)

"Florida draws a vivid picture of what it takes to make a great 21st-century city." -- Denver Post
See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
5 star
30
4 star
20
3 star
15
2 star
9
1 star
10
See all 84 customer reviews
Of course, this is a gross oversimplification of Dr. Florida's theories.
Adam Harpool
It should be reflected in the way people vote; otherwise the class does not make sense.
Emil B
If you are in the workforce, you will identify with Florida "Creative Class."
Gaetan Lion

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

263 of 278 people found the following review helpful
The way things work
By P. Lozar on September 2, 2003
Format: Hardcover
Richard Florida's study began with a rather straightforward premise: what characterizes the cities and regions that are economically successful today? His conclusions are rather controversial, but, based on the statistical evidence he presents (as well as my own experience), I found them highly convincing.
The liveliest economies, he finds, are in regions characterized by the 3 T's -- talent, technology, and tolerance. The implications are profound, to wit:
1. Conventional wisdom holds that, to boost an area's economy, it's necessary to attract large companies and thus create jobs. In fact, companies locate where the talent is; all the tax breaks in the world won't bring a large company to your area if they can't find the quality of employees they want there. Often, too, the talent itself will generate new companies and create jobs that way.
2. Urban planners assume that, to attract talent/jobs, what's important is to provide infrastructure: sports stadiums, freeways, shopping centers, etc. In fact, creative people prefer authenticity -- so making your city just like everyplace else is a sure way to kill its attractiveness.
3. The often-misunderstood "gay index" doesn't mean that gay people are more creative, or that attracting gays to a community will ipso facto boost its economy. Creative people tend to prefer gay-friendly communities because they're perceived as tolerant of anyone who isn't "mainstream"; a city that's run by a conservative good-ole-boys network isn't a good place to try to start a business unless you're one of the good ole boys.
The book is primarily descriptive and analytical, rather than prescriptive.Read more ›
4 Comments Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
The Importance of Place
By Chris M. on July 1, 2005
Format: Paperback
I highly recommend this book. As a professional who cares deeply about the survival of his own urban area, I found this book an indispensable and provocative read. I do have some reservations (below), but, nonetheless, recommend this book to anyone who cares about the future of cities. More detailed review follows.

Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class tells two stories. First, Florida tells the story of an emergent social class comprised of people engaged creatively in the workplace. Because creativity qua capital is the most critical resource in the new economy - as opposed to more traditional sources of capital such as land and natural resources - the "creative class" wields considerable influence in transforming societal norms. The societal transformations ushered in by the creative class are, in fact, means to further nurture and support creativity. Everything from a looser dress code to the postponement of marriage and family can be viewed as reflections of the needs and wants of people actively engaged in creative pursuits.

After detailing this emergent class - and identifying this class as the vanguard of economic growth in the 21st century - Florida instructs regions on how best to attract and maintain the creative class. Cities and regions would do well, Florida insists, on accommodating the needs and wants of the creative class. Places that offer a diverse array of authentic experiences and a tolerant attitude toward different lifestyles will excel in attracting creative workers. Inherent in this argument is that place - more than ever - is the key determinant in fomenting creativity, and, by association, economic growth.Read more ›
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
122 of 149 people found the following review helpful
The Cognitive Elite: Now you see it; now you don't
By Celia Redmore on January 25, 2004
Format: Hardcover
Possibly anyone who wrote a book on the �Creative Class� just before 2003 should be exempt from critical review � just like anyone who wrote an investment guide in 1928, or a colonial government primer in 1775. But �The Rise of the Creative Class� has recently been reissued in paperback, is frequently quoted by ambitious politicians, and is still being touted by its author. Therefore, it matters that we re-examine its contents carefully.
Richard Florida�s thesis is that there is a niche group of society, which over the past century has grown to become a separately identifiable class in its own right, distinguishable from the Working Class or the Service Sector Class or the almost-disappeared class of agricultural workers. This is different from saying that today�s better-educated workers need less direct supervision, or that many jobs vary more in content from day to day than used to be the case.

The author struggles mightily to define the nearly one-third of the population that he calls �creative� as a valid class. He proposes definitions, backs up a couple of pages later, corrects his proposal, and starts off down another path. The result is more of an out loud conversation with himself than a clearly delineated model. There are no neat conclusions here.
The book uses both published sources and the author�s own research to identify the characteristics of his new class: who they are and what motivates them. Sometimes the sources are of doubtful value.
One has to wonder why he would turn to his public policy students at prestigious Carnegie Mellon University to find out why highly-paid manufacturing jobs are no longer attractive to young blue-collar workers.Read more ›
1 Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Interesting but Dense

The concept of this book and the findings are truly fascinating, but the writing style is dense and not very accessible.

Published 4 months ago by Liz Templeton
Richard Florida is an Idiot

This is an extremely biased book written about a subject that he coined. If you are reading this on your own volition and not as a required text for a class then i highly... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Enteryourimagination
Not bad and not great

I was interested in this book because I see the new economy forming and was interested in his take on what that might look like. Read more

Published 24 months ago by Michael Tavella
Got me thinking about how to live life differently

I read this book just after it came out in paperback. It really helped me rethink living in one place for the rest of my life. Read more

Published on January 26, 2013 by Mike Kubica
great book for anyone who in interested the future of urban culture

This is a great book for anyone who in interested the future of urban culture. This book focuses on the ongoing changes in people; and how the creative ethos is beginning to affect... Read more

Published on November 6, 2012 by Romeo Richards
The Effective Role of Creativity

I read every single page. This revised edition of the book has been thoroughly revised with five new chapters. Read more

Published on September 1, 2012 by Marisol D'Andrea
Wonderfully insightful read!

I bought this book as a requirement for a class reading, but have really enjoyed reading it! It is a rather insightful look at the job market today and the people who are creating... Read more

Published on April 12, 2012 by KellBella
The book is actually a classic and it lived to its expectations.

i started reading Richard Florida, The rise of the creative class because Colin Cowherd of ESPN was harping about why superstars choose certain areas to live and why the place is... Read more

Published on March 10, 2012 by stingray
Informative and Interesting

In "The Rise of the Creative Class," urban theorist Richard Florida explains a new class of individuals spawned by the Internet, globalization, and free market economics. Read more

Published on January 8, 2012 by Jiang Xueqin
Seminal insights that more than make up for poor organization

First, the bad news: Richard Florida is a little scattered, and this book is beginning to show its age (as any sociology does, a decade out). Read more

Published on December 8, 2011 by David Camp

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Richard Florida Page
Richard Florida
Author of the bestselling The Rise of the Creative Class and Who's Your City? Richard Florida is a regular columnist for The Atlantic. He has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and other publications. His multiple awards and accolades include the Harvard Business Review's Breakthrough Idea of the Year. He was named one of Esquire magazine's Best and Brightest (2005) and one of BusinessWeek's Voices of Innovation (2006). He lives in Toronto, Canada.

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

Items in your Cart
Prime Pantry Items

Your Shopping Cart is empty.

Give it purpose—fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics, and more.

If you already have an account, sign in.

There's a problem previewing your cart right now.

Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.