‘Perhaps the most damaging misconception of all is the idea that concentration by its very nature creates wealth. Many writers, led by popular theorist Richard Florida, argue that centralized urban areas provide broader cultural opportunities and better access to technology, attracting more innovative, plugged-in people (Florida’s “creative class“) who will in the long term produce greater economic vibrancy.’
The commenters are not friendly to Kotkin.
Here’s a comment by Florida over at the Atlantic a while back:
“I grew up in that culture. My father worked his entire life in a factory. I spent my high-school summers doing factory work. Sexism and racism ran rampant. Fights were almost every day occurrences: Working class disagreements almost always end in them.”
There is a lot of ideology lurking in discussions about urban planning. I feel inclined to defend economic opportunity (jobs), that leads couples to try and get as much space as they can for their money (suburbs), and ultimately, a good environment for their kids to grow up in and access to a decent school.
Also On This Site: From The Atlantic: Richard Florida’s ‘How The Crash Will Reshape America’…it’s all about class don’t you know: From The Atlantic: Richard Florida On The Decline Of The Blue-Collar Man
At least someone might be buying the houses, and some good art could even come of it, but there’s a kind of a anti-establishment tone (mixing art and politics in a questionable way): artists buying cheap houses in Detroit.
Brasilia: A Planned City Roger Scruton In The City Journal: Cities For Living–Is Modernism Dead?…Jonathan Meades On Le Corbusier At The New Statesman
