CREATIVE CITY NEWSLETTER: NOVEMBER 2001

ISSUE 4: GROWTH

ISSUE IN FOCUS: Smart Growth
NEWS YOU CAN USE: The Bohemian Index
CREATIVE CORNER: Slow Cities
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Marquette County, MI
September 11: Creative City Participants Respond
Research and Public Policy Outline
Creative City Participants' Updated Agendas


NEWS YOU CAN USE: THE BOHEMIAN INDEX

A Formula for High Tech Towns

A city's ability to create high tech jobs is strongly related to its "Bohemian Index." That's the conclusion of Richard Florida, the Carnegie-Mellon professor who with his students created the index. What's the Bohemian Index? It measures the concentration of authors, designers, musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, photographers, dancers and other performers in the largest 50 U.S. metro areas. Artists don't build the high tech industries, Florida told Bill Bishop of the Austin American-Statesman. But high tech workers frequent the "same cool, funky places" that draw artists and writers. The formula, Florida says, is "diversity plus creativity equals high tech.

For an article related to the "Bohemian Index", go to "Havens for Artists Attract Tech Industry, Index Shows."