Richard Florida's Books - Creative Class

The Flight of The Creative Class

overview

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The 2006 follow-up to The Rise of the Creative Class takes the argument to the next level. Arguing that this global competition for creative talent will be the defining economic issue of the 21st century. On this front, the United States may already be losing its traditional lead. What made the U.S. an economic superpower, Florida argues, was not its factories or raw materials or even military might alone – but the people it attracted to its shores from around the world. Now, in the wake of 9/11, there are ominous signs indicating that attractiveness may be waning.

Beyond just the United States, Florida’s sweeping look at how regions and nations around the world are adapting to the global creative economy holds valuable lessons for anyone interested in the future of economic growth and prosperity. A wake-up call to business, political, and cultural leaders alike, Flight weaves these issues together in the sort of macro-level analysis that will truly affect the way Florida’s audiences view the world around them.

As always, Florida’s forecast is not all doom and gloom, but offers strategies for the U.S. to regain its creative lead in the world economy. Finding ways to mitigate gross inequality, harness the creativity of all human beings, take on political polarization, and retain the traditional openness of American society to international influence will all be crucial to the success – or failure – of the United States.

The Flight of The Creative Class

praise

• “We all worry about the deficit, the competitive challenge of China and trillions of dollars in unfunded Social Security obligations. But Richard Florida’s book points to a far greater threat that policy makers and professionals need to quickly understand and--just as quickly--act upon. ‘If you read one non-fiction book this year’ is as hackneyed as it comes--but in this instance fully merited”.

  — Tom Peters

• “Creativity has become the global gold standard for economic growth, and yet the United States seems intent on shooting itself not just in the foot, but in the brain. Richard Florida’s new book should be required reading for elected officials, policy makers, educators, business leaders—and every citizen who’s concerned about the future of this country”.

  — Alan M. Webber, Founding Editor
  Fast Company Magazine

• “Richard Florida sounds a wake-up call for companies that thrive on the creativity of their employees, customers, and communities. ‘The Flight of the Creative Class’ challenges everyone - business, community, and political leaders alike - to engage and support education, technology, R&D, and community building in an effort to create a better future”.

  — Jim Goodnight, founder and CEO
  SAS, a leading business intelligence software company that is consistently ranked among America’s best places to work

• “Richard Florida has provided extraordinary insight into one of the most poorly understood problems facing the international community today. The movement of human capital, particularly the most creative and talented, from nation to nation is critically important to understanding why the future of some countries is assured and that of others doomed. A first-rate piece of work”.

  — Carl Schramm, President and CEO
  The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

The Flight of The Creative Class

articles

• 1. Publisher's Weekly : The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent: Richard Florida - Oct 22 2008

  Following up on The Rise of the Creative Class (2002), Florida argues that if America continues to make it harder for some of the world’s most talented students and workers to come here, they’ll go to other countries eager to tap into their creative capabilities—as will American citizens fed up with what they view as an increasingly repressive environment.

• 2. Arena Magazine : On Creative Mythmaking - Sep 8 2008

  In recent years, Florida has carved a niche for himself raising the class consciousness of graphic designers, software engineers, research scientists, business entrepreneurs, writers and academics and assorted other people involved in intellectual forms of work.

• 3. Universities foster technology, talent and tolerance - Mar 25 2008

  Richard Florida urges the US to prepare its children with a comprehensive education translating into jobs not only in computer science and software programming but also in market research and the development of new financial instruments.

• 4. A Search for Jobs in Some of the Wrong Places - Feb 12 2006

  By Richard Florida - Feb 2006

• 5. Let's Get Creative: India in the Creative Age - Feb 2006

  By Richard Florida, The Times of India - Feb 2006

• 6. The World is Spiky - Oct 2005

  By Richard Florida, The Atlantic Monthly - Oct 2005

• 7. Creative Capital: The Key to Prosperity - Sep 12 2005

  By Richard Florida - Sept 2005

• 8. Perth: A City on the Edge - Aug 9 2005

  By Brigid Delaney - Aug 2005

• 9. A Dire Global Imbalance in Creativity - Jul 20 2005

  By Richard Florida - July 2005

• 10. Bright Flight, Is the Bay State's vaunted 'creative class' coming or going? (registration required)[www.massinc.org] - Jul 17 2005

  By Robert David Sullivan, CommonWealth - July 2005

• 11. Baseball's Home Run - Jun 6 2005

  By Richard Florida and Jesse Elliott - June 2005

• 12. Tolerance Grows the Economy - May 25 2005

  By Richard Florida, Philadelphia Inquirer - May 2005

• 13. Attracting Creative People Key to South Florida's Success[pqasb.pqarchiver.com] - May 5 2005

  By Marcia Heroux Pounds, South Florida Sun-Sentinel - May 2005

• 14. U.S. Creative Class Requires Nurturing, Scholar Insists (not available Online) - May 1 2005

  By Jon Talton, The Arizona Republic - May 2005

• 15. What We Need Is Vibrancy[pqasb.pqarchiver.com] - Apr 25 2005

  By Steven Pearlstein, The Washington Post - April 2005

• 16. Flight of the Creative Class - Apr 12 2005

  By Richard Florida - April 2005

• 17. Florida's Gospel and the Creative Class - Mar 26 2005

  By Leon Gettler, The Age - March 2005

• 18. America’s Best and Brightest Are Leaving…and Taking the Creative Economy With Them - Sep 2004

  By Richard Florida, Across the Board: the Conference Board Magazine - Sept 1994

reviews

• 1. Amazon Booklist : The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent: Richard Florida - Oct 22 2008

  Professor Florida makes an impassioned plea, using his first book, The Rise of the Creative Class (2002), as a jump start, for the U.S. to retain its stature as an open and welcoming home for talent.

• 2. Technology & Society - Aug 15 2005

  By Curtis D. Frye, techsoc.com - Aug 2005

• 3. The Flight From America - May 31 2005

  By Lakshmi Chaudhry, AlterNet - May 2005

• 4. Competing in a New Age - May 30 2005

  By Thomas Hoffman, Computerworld - May 2005

• 5. Why Worry? Note to post–9/11 U.S.: You're no Finland—or even Estonia - May 24 2005

  By Geeta Dayal, The Village Voice - May 2005

• 6. Talent: Will America Lose Out? - May 16 2005

  BusinessWeek Book Review - May 2005

• 7. Hitch Your Wagon to Estonia - May 10 2005

  By Clayton Collins, The Christian Science Monitor - May 2005

• 8. The Intolerance Agenda - Microsoft Gives Richard Florida's Creative Class the Finger - May 5 2005

  By Josh Feit, The Stranger - May 2005

• 9. The Gay/Hipster Index[dir.salon.com] - Apr 21 2005

  By Christopher Dreher, Salon.com - April 2005

• 10. Bye, Creatives - Apr 11 2005

  By Barbara Kiviat, Time Magazine - April 2005

• 11. Social Cost[ssl.tnr.com] - Apr 6 2005

  By Ben Adler, The New Republic - April 2005

• 12. Losing Our Edge (not available online) - Apr 2005

  By Cecil Johnson, Special to the Star-Telegram - April 2005

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