Tuesday, April 14, 2009

In Praise of Spikes - Richard Florida and Creative Cities

In the March, 2008 issue of Fast Company, Richard Florida provides an excerpt from his book, Who's Your City? How the Creative Economy Is Making Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life
It's a mantra of the age of globalization that place doesn't matter. Technology has leveled the global playing field--the world is flat. "When the world is flat," says New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, "you can innovate without having to emigrate."

It's a compelling notion--but it's wrong. Today's global economy is spiky. What's more, the tallest spikes, the cities and regions that drive the world economy, are growing ever higher while the valleys, with little economic activity, recede still further.

Read the entire excerpt at FAST COMPANY.