The Creative Class, blah, blah, blah

[Wannaplan?]

K-zoo got funding to rehab a building. WHOOO HOOO.

And let me guess, your town did not? I sense the jealously oozing right out of your pores. Would you ever say that to the faces of the planners and officials who work in K-zoo? I bet they are proud that the State essentially gave them a handout to do good work. Maybe you need to polish your grant-writing skills so that you can show your boss why your town is better than K-zoo?

Remember, these grants that were awarded under the Cool Cities banner are part of a pilot program. It's just starting. The way you react so negatively to anything that has to do with the Cool Cities program indicates your lack of understanding of how the municipal grants and funding game works in Michigan. Or are you just full of petty partisan jealousy?

[Rumpy Tunanator]

And let me guess, your town did not? I sense the jealously oozing right out of your pores. Would you ever say that to the faces of the planners and officials who work in K-zoo? I bet they are proud that the State essentially gave them a handout to do good work. Maybe you need to polish your grant-writing skills so that you can show your boss why your town is better than K-zoo?

Remember, these grants that were awarded under the Cool Cities banner are part of a pilot program. It's just starting. The way you react so negatively to anything that has to do with the Cool Cities program indicates your lack of understanding of how the municipal grants and funding game works in Michigan. Or are you just full of petty partisan jealousy?

I smell a death match brewing

[Wannaplan?]

I smell a death match brewing

No, not really. I'm just reacting in a plain and direct manner to an issue that is somewhat complex yet quite simple. I guess I'm not that good at being patient when a professional in my field apparently acts so naive, in my opinion, toward an issue that isn't neccessaily divisive. But I could be totally wrong - he and I have opposing political views so I am willing to say that I could be off-base, if only somewhat, when it comes to Cool Cities in Michigan.

[BKM]

Well, in defense of michaelskis, his post was not THAT simple, most of it was suggesting other areas for investment that might have better long term results (i.e., downtown residential neighborhood revitalization).

Although how you can revitalize a residential neighborhood of ordinary wood frame houses without a strong downtown is a good debating point.

[jresta]

UMM... not in my region of the US of A. WTF?

I never noticed this - could you elaborate? What's not in your region of the US of A?

[Cardinal]

I don't read any jealousy in Michaelski's post. I think he is on the right track, as well. Florida's work is wonderfully misinterpreted and mis-applied. Watching people respond to his ideas with hairbrained schemes is one of the most entertaining things in economic development right now.

There are only a handful of places that are, or ever will be cultural meccas for the elite of the creative class. Trying to make all of Michigan such as place is simply foolish. Michaelskis is absolutely right when he suggests that the state's resources would be better applied to solid, mainstream, structural improvements in the downtowns and neighborhoods neighborhoods of Michigan's cities.

[Wannaplan?]

Florida's work is wonderfully misinterpreted and mis-applied. Watching people respond to his ideas with hairbrained schemes is one of the most entertaining things in economic development right now.

I just attended a Michigan Cool Cities press event. I think your comment is right-on, but I can tell you that there are some misconceptions out there regarding the Michigan Cool Cities initiative. Of all the speakers there today - from the head of Michigan department of labor and economic development to the city mayor to the rehab project managers - no one had even mentioned Richard Florida, the "creative class," or any of that bunk. The speeches were about revitalizing neighborhoods, helping Michigan's oft-neglected urban areas, and creating unique housing opportunities to show what's possible. A mass-myopia of the "City" hovers over the heads of Michiganders. With the Cool Cities initiative, Governor Granholm is spotlighting our urban areas with these media events, hopefully to spur more people to live, shop, play, and invest there.

[JNA]

Editorial in the Indianapolis Star October 2, 2004

culture watch: James Glass
Cultural attractions draw creative class

http://www.indystar.com/articles/4/183069-2794-021.html

cites Florida a couple of times and offers examples in Indianapolis.

[schristmas]

While many on this thread bash Florida's creative class theory, I support the concept as intriguing and worth continued inquiry. The concept itself could posess more explanatory power than most professionals and academics would like to admit. I know that prior to the publication of "The Rise of the Creative Class" I had already begun to think, as a college student, of where I would like to settle: NYC and Boston were frontrunners. Both cities had amenities such as interesting architecture and thriving nightlife, and a lifestyle that appear really enjoyable. Baltimore, where I grew up, just couldn't compare. I know I couldn't be the only one thinking this way. And this way of thinking among educated people could actually be a significant contributer to urban growth. Now whether that means American cities should reposition themselves via major image overhauls, I am not sure. But cities like Cleveland and Detroit, need to at least add a diverse range of amenities and nicer housing options to make themselves both attractive and competitive.

[Kovanovich]

Clearly, either Governor Granholm or someone on her staff has read Florida's book.

In an interesting article that appeared in the local newspaper this week-end, a conservative think-tank, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, wrote a rebuttal (of sorts) to Governor Granholm's (a democrat) "cool citites" intiative. Here is an excerpt:

You can read more from this article at: http://www.mackinac.org/article.asp?ID=5926

I am perplexed the Mackinac Center article. I am thinking about writing my own response to my local newspaper. I guess I take exception at calling zoning laws a "white elephant scheme" and that they have the lack of insight to compare NYC's SoHo to Flint, Michigan. Two different beasts! Their article is a great example of obfuscation of real planning issues that an uninformed public may take as fact.

Just revisited this thread and wanted to get my (belated) two cents in regarding the Mackinac study on Michigan's Cool Cities initiative...It is, sadly, all too characteristic of the conservative mentality to blatantly cherry pick evidence, in the case of the false comparison of Flint and SoHo. OF course, silly me, had the market merely been allowed to play out, all our cities would look like Florence and not Dresden after it was bombed. Their arrogance makes me less likely to take seriously the potentially helpful suggestions that they do make. Even more seriously, and also characteristically, the authors focus on what is wrong with the cities. They want to change laws that they feel cities have hurt themselves with. No mention of how Michigan, like all states and the federal government, have systematically destroyed cities (by heavily funding highways, give tax advantages to sprawl housing and business creation, etc etc etc). Not a mention of any of this. So I conclude that, like most conservatives, the authors don't feel that anything should be done with cities. Their collapse is the cost of our society's economic progress. A pretty small cost, in their view. I feel that this view is reprehensible, but I think that it is defensible. It's all a matter of what we choose to value -- our history, culture, civic life or economic growth, job creation, and the continued elevation of private wealth alongside public squalor. If conservatives could admit this, I would have more respect for them.

[ludes98]

Florida sets the record straight.I wonder if that was pun intended?

Thursday at the University of Akron, an amused but clearly exasperated Florida spelled out exactly where he - and the national economy - stands.