The Essential Elements Of Innovative Cities
In The Rise Of The Creative Class, author and urbanist Richard Florida argues that culture is a primary driver of innovation.After all, if the best and the brightest can go anywhere, why wouldn’t they go to a place they will enjoy living in?
Further, he posits that three elements are crucial—talent, technology and tolerance—all of which cities have in spades. The first two are obvious, but studies also show that diversity trumps even ability when it comes to getting optimal results.A homogenous culture, even made up of very smart people, isn’t likely to produce much.
As Steve Jobs noted, creativity is about connecting things.The more random collisions you have with people who have different ideas, the more creative you’ll be.That’s why he designed Apple’s new headquarters to facilitate interactions, with lots of open spaces and common areas.
It’s also why cities need more than office buildings and research parks.They need cafes, music festivals, art shows and other places where creative people meet and exchange ideas.