Tuesday, June 19, 2007

emerging creative class in tallahassee


Richard Florida's book The Rise of the Creative Class has brought to light that the creative class now comprises 38 million people and almost 30% of the workforce in America. These no-collar creative types are found at the heart of all kinds of industry not just art galleries and pottery barns.
In cities like San Fransisco, Austin, and Seattle, the Creative Class flourishes in a diverse social and economical environment. Another city has begun to emerge as a haven for the Creative Class, Tallahassee. Tallahassee was named as one of “America’s 50 Hottest Cities” for companies to relocate. Out of the nation’s 362 metro areas, Tallahassee was among five Florida cities making the list. Others include Jacksonville, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay.
After research, training and brainstorming seminar facilitated by the Richard Florida Creativity Group, the KCCI Catalyst Team established four key initiatives to help create sustained economic prosperity in the Tallahassee region.

The initiatives address what social theorist Richard Florida refers to as the ”Four T’s”: talent (also known as the workforce), technology (also referred to as innovation), tolerance (otherwise known as diversity and inclusion) and territory assets (the things that make Tallahassee great). Through his research, Florida shows that these four basic aspects must be addressed to build sustainable communities.
See more info on the initiatives being developed on KCCI Tallahassee here.
Check back as we continue to explore and search for more evidence of the rise of the creative class in Tallahassee.