‘creative’ in the traditional sense – that is, who produce the art The trouble with the and music that attracts the creative class – are as poor as they Creative Class ever were. A recent Australia Council report (called Don’t give up your day job) says that very few artists in Australia earn high incomes and that most earn very low incomes. Half Australia’s Kate Shaw artists have a creative income of less than $7,300 a year You’ve probably come across the ‘uber-cool’ Richard Florida, (Throsby and Hollister 2003). Provision of what they’ve always American economics professor, and his ‘creative class’ thesis needed – cheap space to live and work – which can only be by now – it’s hard not to, with governments all over the world done systematically in a gentrifying city by government, will falling over themselves to pay his minimum US $10,000 support Melbourne’s claim to creative city status. speaking fee. Here’s an extract from his visit to Melbourne in The self-congratulatory claims made by the current State December 2004: Smith Street, Collingwood – diverse and pumping. Docklands – where’s the people?. Government are, really, largely unwarranted. Much of what Professor Florida: I think it’s obvious what you have done here Florida admired in his 2004 visit – Melbourne Docklands, the is truly amazing. vibrant mix of uses in the city, the cafés and bars – were He ranks cities throughout the world on the creativity index, • What’s going on: the vibrancy of street life, café culture, arts, delivered under the Kennett Government. And while the Treasurer John Brumby: I think there’s a lot of truth in his and compares this ranking to other measures including a music and people engaging in outdoor activities – altogether docklands is a great physical environment (and always was) thesis. Melbourne itself … is proof of it. ‘melting pot index’ (number of foreign-born residents), a a lot of active, exciting, creative endeavours. (p.232) the new development doesn’t do particularly well in the That’s what they want to hear. What’s the thesis? In short, that ‘bohemian index’ (writers, musicians, artists etc), a ‘coolness diversity or creative endeavour stakes. The opportunities for Conservatives, of course, can’t stand the ‘hip and cool’ thrust economic growth occurs in cities that are tolerant, diverse and index’ (city nightlife), a ‘talent index’ (percentage of population diversity through a mix of housing types and costs, and for (Kotkin 2005) nor what they regard as Florida’s ‘big- open to creativity because that’s where creative people want to with a bachelor degree or above) and so on, in various exciting cultural activities through the availability of cheap government’ interventionist agenda (Malanga 2004). But they live, and that companies follow the creative people, not the permutations. High levels of innovation and high-tech industry space, have been missed. also argue that he confuses cause and effect, and that the other way round. So instead of offering tax breaks and correlate with locations of the creative class and talent. High- creatives are attracted to cities that are already economically The live music scene remains under pressure from the same infrastructure to big companies, cities wanting to be tech is directly proportional to the melting pot and gay indices. successful. They accuse him of circular logic and say that residential development standards that contribute to the economically successful must make themselves attractive to Innovation correlates with the bohemian index. Florida’s point anyway, low-taxing, business-friendly cities like Las Vegas, vibrancy of the CBD. Its persistence in Melbourne is despite, not what Florida calls the ‘creative class’. His book, The Rise of the is to show not that high-tech workers are foreign-born and/or which ranks low on the creativity index, have a higher growth because of, anything any government has done. Venue closures Creative Class, has been a bestseller since 2002, and has come gay, but that the presence of large immigrant and gay rate than Florida’s exemplars. They have a point. have slowed recently mainly because of the slump in the inner- in for almost as much stick as it has adulation. The criticisms communities signifies a place that is open and tolerant, and city property market, but they will resume. The State The critique from the left asks where the working and service have the same grounds as the acclaim: Florida’s solution offers that “these qualities are important to high-tech workers and Government’s commitment to a creative city has yet to be tested. a quick fix, not too much government investment, attractive to Creative Class people in general” (p.258). classes are in this happy picture. Florida assures us early in his small business communities and leftish liberals alike, what one book that “factory workers and even the lowest-end service Just as artists and musicians need cheap space if they are not To reinforce the point, Florida shows that working class regions academic calls ‘just add culture and stir’ (Gibson 2004). workers always have been creative in certain valuable ways” to become the busking ‘after-dinner entertainment’ (Gibson are low in economic growth and that correlations between the and he expresses his belief that “the key to improving the lot of 2004), the ‘bag ladies’ and working and services classes need The thesis is initially appealing. Residents, businesses and talent index and working class centres are “negative and highly underpaid, underemployed and disadvantaged people lies … in somewhere decent to live if they are not to be consigned to tourists want a vibrant city, and there is certainly economic significant” (leading him to suggest that “Working Class tapping the creativity of these people, paying them long journeys into town on inadequate public transport to benefit in supporting local cultural life. With an almost regions possess among the lowest levels of human capital” appropriately for it and integrating them fully into the Creative enrich the creative class’s cultural experience. This, Keynesian approach Florida advocates public investment in p.252). There is a negative correlation between high-tech firms Economy” (2002:10). But he is naïve here, if not disingenuous. unfortunately, appears beyond what the current city boosters ‘soft’ infrastructure such as heritage restorations, galleries, and percentage of African-Americans “and other nonwhites” As Anthony O’Donnell from Melbourne University’s centre for are prepared to deliver. But, if it takes someone like Florida to street cafes, bike paths, small creative initiatives and local (p.262). He observes that “the Creative Economy does little to get them thinking, so be it! Let the discussion continue. music scenes. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s his ameliorate the traditional divide between the white and employment and labour relations law points out, service reasoning, and what he leaves out, that gets him into trouble. nonwhite segments of the population. It may even make it workers are integral to the rise of the creative class, taking care of their kids and ageing parents, cleaning their houses and Here’s a summary of Florida’s case. The ‘creative class’ consists worse” (p.263). He stops short of declaring poor, black areas Dr Kate Shaw is a Research Fellow in the Faculty of Architecture, low in levels of human capital, but moves briskly on. offices and serving in their favourite bars. O’Donnell argues that Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. of some 30 percent of all employed people in the US, second the new flexible workplace laws “help create a low-end service only to the ‘service class’ which has 45 percent. The working The correlations mount to an argument that “diversity and class that enables a creative class to pay as little as possible to The Creative Cities – Cultural Tourism Melbourne Conversation class is now 25 percent of the workforce. The creative class series will be held on Monday, 20 and Tuesday 21 February at creativity work together to power innovation and economic people who do some of their most important work” (2004). includes a core of people in “science and engineering, growth” (p.262). Cities wanting economic success must the BMW Edge. Speakers in the first session from 6 – 8pm on architecture and design, education, arts, music and therefore attract the creatives, and Florida is here to tell them It’s clear enough that the creative city phenomenon is part of Monday include Kate Shaw and Marcus Spiller. entertainment” and a broader group of “creative professionals how. The creative class wants lifestyle (music, art, techno the deeper process of urban regeneration and gentrification in business and finance, law, health care and related fields” scenes and nightlife), social interaction (coffee shops, that is sweeping cities throughout the world. And it must be further qualified by the realpolitik that, no matter how many (2002:8). That is, pretty well anyone on a high white-collar bookstores and cafés), diversity (“different ethnic groups and References salary. Of course this class earns way more than the other two races, different ages, different sexual orientations and galleries and street cafés are in place, the hard infrastructure Florida, Richard (2002) The Rise of the Creative Class, and how it’s trans- put together, and this is the class cities want. alternative appearances such as significant body piercings or and tax breaks have to be there too: a Guggenheim won’t bring them if the creative CEOs can’t park their 4WDs. The creative forming work, leisure, community and everyday life, Basic Books, USA. The presence of a creative class is one of four equal indicators tattoos” p.226), authenticity (historic buildings, established city is, really, a complement to business as usual, and it Gibson, Lisanne (2004) Port Phillip’s creative class, paper to the City of of an economically successful city. The others are: innovation neighbourhoods, a unique music scene, “urban grit alongside wouldn’t have spawned the industry of consultants that it has, Port Phillip’s second gentrification forum: Recreating urban culture, March. (patents per capita), high-tech industry (number of firms), and renovated buildings … long-time neighbourhood characters who travel the world advising governments on how best to diversity (measured by Florida’s ‘gay index’). The creative class and yuppies, fashion models and bag ladies” p.228), identity Kotkin, Joel (2005) City of the future, Washington Post, 24 July. build local ‘cultural capital’, nor indeed so engaged those brings the innovation and high-tech, attracted by the city’s (“place is becoming an important source of status” p.230) and quality of place, which Florida defines as: governments, if it proposed anything radical. Malanga, Steven (2004) The curse of the creative class, Wall Street diversity. Taken together, these indicators aggregate into a Journal, 19 January. ‘creativity index’, and cities that score high on this index are • What’s there: the combination of the built environment and But as is often the case with pop theory, there is also exemplars known as ‘creative centres’ (San Francisco, Austin the natural environment; a proper setting for the pursuit of something in it. No-one wants to live in an uncool city, and O’Donnell, Anthony (2004) Just who works for the new creative class? Texas, Boston). Predominantly working class and service class creative lives. investment in social infrastructure does increase social equity. The Age, 2 August. centres also exist (Memphis, New Orleans, Detroit) and Florida • Who’s there: the diverse kinds of people, interacting and Support of local cultural scenes via funding, cultural policy and Throsby, David and Hollister, Virginia (2003) Don’t give up your day job: notes a new geographic sorting along class lines, no longer providing cues that anyone can plug into and make a life in planning interventions has infinite cultural, social and An economic study of professional artists in Australia, Australia Council within but between cities. that community. economic spin-offs. Most people in Melbourne who are for the Arts, Australia. 4 5