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The Creative Class: A Key to Rural Growth
Overview
Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class makes a compelling argument that urban development now depends on novel combinations of knowledge and ideas, that certain occupations specialize in this task, that people in these occupations are drawn to areas providing a high quality of life, and that the essential development strategy is to create an environment that attracts and retains these workers. While developed with urban areas in mind, this thesis may be particularly relevant in rural areas, which lose much of their young talent.
Our analysis of recent development in rural U.S. counties, which focuses on natural amenities as quality-of-life indicators, supports the creative class thesis. A repetition for urban counties also shows a strong relationship between creative class presence and growth, although natural amenities play a smaller role. However, the research demonstratesa recast creative class measure, which excludes from the original Florida measure many occupations with low creativity requirements and those involved primarily in economic reproduction (i.e., numbers proportional to population).The research conforms more closely to the concept of creative class and proves to be more highly associated with regional development than the original Florida measure.
Other work by Florida has demonstrated that a critical subset of the creative class is that comprised of fine, performing, and applied artists. His "Bohemian index"—the share of employment in arts occupations—is strongly associated with new firm formation and high-tech specialization in metropolitan areas. The creative class codes data file also breaks out the share of employment in the arts.
Some rural areas can generate economic growth by attracting people in creative occupations who value natural ameniti
Climate, topography, and water are highly related to rural county populations growth over hte past 25 years. A natural amenitiies index captures much of this analysis of assets and growth potential Average 1970-96 population change in rural counties was 1% among counties low on the natural resources amenities indux. But it was 120% among counties high on the index! Most retirement counties and recreation counties score in the top 25% of the amenities indux. employment change is also highly related to natural amentiies.
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Further readings...
See additional ERS research using the natural amenities measures:
"Behind the Data: Natural Amenities Scale," by David A. McGranahan, in Amber Waves, Vol. 3, No. 2, April 2005.
"Farm Programs, Natural Amenities, and Rural Development," by David A. McGranahan and Patrick J. Sullivan, in Amber Waves, Vol. 3, No. 1, February 2005.
"The Roots of Rural Population Loss," by David A. McGranahan and Calvin L. Beale, in Amber Waves, Vol. 1, No. 1, February 2003.
"Understanding Rural Population Loss," by David A. McGranahan and Calvin L. Beale, in Rural America, Vol. 17, No. 4, Winter 2002.
From Heather Sky Studio