The Rise of the Creative Class - Revisited: 10th Anniversary Edition - Revised and Expanded [Hardcover]

I read every single page. This revised edition of the book has been thoroughly revised with five new chapters. It departs from the original version of the 2002 book that the term Creative class has evolved. Florida explains that the term "used to mean artists and writers. Today, it means job stability" (p. viii), and contends that for prosperity and jobs to happen, there is a need to convert every job into a 'creative job.' 'Every human being is creative' is the key thesis of "The Rise of the Creative Class Revisited," as in the original version of the 2002 book. With a clear and engaging message, Florida addresses his critics throughout the book and presents updated data from various scholars in the field to support his position.

The aim to capitalize 'creativity' is powerfully argued in this book. Florida demonstrates that the Creative Class now comprises more than thirty percent of the entire workforce. But to his surprise, metros with the highest rank in Creativity Index, tended to have the highest level of inequality. He addresses these perplexities later in the book. However, one thing is for sure, Working and Service Classes thrive in regions with high concentration of the Creative Class. Furthermore, the author stresses that the Creative Economy is not about capitalistic discourse; instead, it is about innovation, business and culture. He ascertains the recognition of the Creative Economy where creativity is the key driver of today's economy, as creativity needs to be commoditized in lieu of being wasted; insisting that the key task of the future must be to fully engage the creative talents of ALL.

The author speaks to the issues of inequality as well. Florida argues that what drives inequality is the persistent poverty and concentration of economic activity during globalization. One of his recommendations to overcome inequality is to make Service jobs "better," more creative. He recapitulates his central theory, where he insists that we need to build a new 'social compact' that can lead to the 'creatification' of every single human being, while reaffirming the commitment to diversity, and moving away from bureaucracy and squelching standards. He ends by providing vital recommendations for harnessing creativity, growth, prosperity and the 'beautification' of the city.

Florida's propositions indeed bear semblance to Jane Jacobs' work in that he has sagaciously analyzed how to improve the city and the way of life. He wishes to make the city a better place for all, and stands firm with his scholarly argument that creativity is vital to ignite economic growth--as the ticket to prosperity. In the heart of the U.S crisis, there is a sense of urgency in his message that seeks to capitalize creativity to prevail over economic failures. Overall, The "Rise of the Creative Class Revisited" is the must-have guide for policymakers and ALL leaders seeking to better understand how to manage creative workers and the proper and effective role of creativity. This book provides useful tools to begin a new way of life that is creative!

Impressive revisions and insightful body of work!

As I heard the account, one of Albert Einstein's colleagues at Princeton once pointed out to him that he asked the same questions on his final examination each year. 'Yes, that is true. Each year, the answers are different.' I thought about that incident as I began to read this book because most (not all) of the major issues that Richard Florida addresses in the Original Edition (2003) are among those he revisits in this 10th Anniversary Edition.

As he explains in the Preface to the new edition, 'the dawning of the Creative Age has ushered in a newfound respect for livability and sustainability. This, too, is part and parcel of the deeper shift. The quest for clean and green is powered by the same underlying ethos that drives the Creative Economy. Where the green agenda is driven by the need to conserve natural assets, the Creative Economy is driven by the logic that seeks to fully harness ' and no longer waste ' human resources and talent.' Most of the same trends, patterns, shifts, etc. that Florida identified a decade ago continue, their expansion driven by diversity and inclusion that are both moral imperatives and economic necessities. Each contains an abundance of opportunities and perils.

However, that said, 'all is far from well: the great promise of the Creative Age is not being met.' Florida adds, 'We are in a strange interregnum when the old order has collapsed and the new order is not yet born.' Lacking the cohesion and solidarity of the Working Class, the Creative Class remains at the forefront of what Ronald Inglehart characterizes as 'the transition to a post-materialistic politics ' a shift from values that accord priority to meeting immediate material needs to ones that stress belonging, self-expression, opportunity, environmental quality, diversity, community, and quality of life.'

Revising and updating the Original Edition was a major project for Florida and his associates. All of the original chapters were revised; five new ones were added; and two pair of original chapters (2 and 3, 7 and 8) have been combined into one chapter (Chapter 2 and 'No Collar'). Florida devotes two of the new chapters to 'the persistent and deepening economic, social, and geographic divides that continue to vex our society.'

These and other major writing and editing initiatives correctly suggest how much importance Florida gives to helping to 'unleash the great reservoir of overlooked and underutilized human potential,' resources without which the human race cannot finally achieve and then sustain 'a better, more meaningful, and more fulfilling way of life.'

I agree with Richard Florida that 'every single human being is creative' or at least can be creative if (HUGE 'if') economic opportunity and human development are not only in alignment but, in fact, interchangeable.