CEOs for Cities Blog: "The Big Three Creatives" - The Diigo Meta page

• 16 Oct 08
  

  Yule Heibel

  Discussion of panel with John Howkins, author of The Creative Economy; Charles Landry, author of The Creative City; and Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, which took place in Detroit at the Creative Cities Summit.

  ceos_for_cities creatives creative_cities

  • Although the creative city, the creative economy, and the creative class are fundamentally different concepts, they are all related. Each panelist has clearly been influenced by the work of the others.
  • Creativity is not only slippery, as John said.  It is also risky business.  It “fails” more often than not. And therefore, it’s not easy political business.
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  • • The panelists’ list includes openness, curiosity, the right to use your full talent, and the right to full expression (the freedom to create). 
    • bigger cities have real advantages over smaller cities.  So he had special advice for 3rd tier cities:  Build strength by connecting to a bigger city, connecting to universities, accept brain circulation as a reality and use it to your advice, understanding what is authentic about your city and capitalize on that (distinctiveness), and most especially, acting with imagination.
      
    • Using distinctiveness to build your local narrative.
    • The panelists agreed that people gravitate to physical beauty.  There is today an aesthetic premium.
    • Charles called for a concerted effort to advocate for the creative city and build evidence for the case for the creative city.  He also urged us to work with places in a coordinated way to implement projects in “the new creative city paradigm.”
    • John reminded us that it is unlikely that politicians will take the lead on the creative city.  Instead, it is up to us to define the agenda and ask them to respond.  In this, content is king. 

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