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

Richard L. Florida

Basic Books, 2002 - Social Science - 404 pages

Many writers have commented on the massive social changes of the past few decades, but most of them have treated these shifts as something imposed on us, by technology or the marketplace. This is wrong, says Richard Florida: we've chosen to alter our values, work, and lifestyle, and for good economic reasons. Why have we done this?Florida finds the answer in the rise of a new social class. Like other classes, its basis is economic. Just as the feudal aristocracy derived its identity and values from its hereditary control of land and people, and the bourgeoisie derived its identity and values from its role as merchants of goods, the Creative Class derives its identity and values from its role as purveyors of creativity. When we see ourselves as "creative," our self-image affects the choices we make in every area of our lives.Based on a massive body of research, The Rise of the Creative Class chronicles the ongoing sea-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 nearly forty million Americans, or more than 25% of all employed people. The choices these people make have already had a huge economic impact, and 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.

What people are saying

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

User Review  - Tressie Mcphd - Goodreads

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 ...

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

User Review  - Shari - Goodreads

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 ...

Contents

• The Transformation of Everyday Life: 1
• THE CREATIVE AGE: 19
• The Creative Ethos: 21
• The Creative Economy: 44
• The Creative Class: 67
• WORK: 83
• The Machine Shop and the Hair Salon: 85
• The Horizontal Labor Market: 102
• The NoCollar Workplace: 116
• Managing Creativity: 129
• The Time Warp: 144
• LIFE AND LEISURE: 163
• The Experiential Life: 165
• The Big Morph a Rant: 190
• COMMUNITY: 213
• The Power of Place: 215
• The Geography of Creativity: 235
• Technology Talent and Tolerance: 249
• From Social Capital to Creative Capital: 267
• Building the Creative Community: 283
• The Creative Class Grows Up: 315
• Where the Numbers Come From: 327
• Information on Updates: 353
• The Memphis Manifesto: 381
• Notes: 383
• Acknowledgments: 413
• Index: 417

About the author

Richard L. Florida is director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and professor of business and creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Rise of the Creative Class: And how It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life
• Author: Richard L. Florida
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Basic Books, 2002
• ISBN: 0465024769, 9780465024766
• Length: 404 pages
• Subjects: Social Science / Sociology / General