The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida, a professor Carnegie Mellon University, should be required reading for anyone who is even remotely interested in the future of the global economy. It certainly should be of interest to anyone with entrepreneurial aspirations. As noted in the cover notes of the book, in the future, the "Creative Class" will play an increasingly important role in determining how work is organized, which companies will be ultimately be successful, and even what cities and regions are most likely to grow and prosper. These are obviously relevant considerations for anyone thinking about starting a business in the new age of global competition.

     After an introductory chapter on the transformation currently taking place in the global economy, Florida presents the central ideas of The Rise of the Creative Class in four distinct yet interconnected sections. The first part of the book, which consists of three chapters, deals with what Florida calls "The Creative Age." Florida sees creativity emerging as the defining feature of contemporary economic life. Members of the Creative Class are distinguished by their participation in work that has as its fundamental aim the development of "meaningful new forms." Moreover, the Creative Class can be divided into two distinct constituencies. The first is what Florida calls the "Super Creative Core." This group consists of individuals who are engaged in the highest level of creative work, producing new forms that have multiple applications in a variety of different areas; i.e., scientists, professors, artists, researchers, writers, etc. The second group is made up of "Creative Professionals." These people draw from complex bodies of knowledge in order to facilitate creative problem-solving in specific situations. Creative Professionals typically work in knowledge-intensive industries in which they are required to think independently; i.e., physicians, lawyers, managers, etc.

     The second section of the book, consisting of five chapters, deals specifically with how work is viewed by the Creative Class. As he does throughout the book, Florida blends rather extensive and sophisticated research into a narrative which is fairly straightforward and easily understood. His basic assertion here is that even when economic conditions shift dramatically, these changes usually have little effect on the motivation of creative individuals. And while Florida concedes that members of the Creative Class often become quite affluent, he argues that they have always valued intrinsic satisfaction over tangible rewards. The significant point is that what creative individuals tend to want from their work remains relatively constant regardless of fluctuations in their personal financial situations.

     The two chapters that comprise the third section of The Rise of the Creative Class address how the Creative Class tends to approach life in general and leisure in particular. Florida notes that the lifestyle of many creative individuals can best be characterized as a "passionate quest for experience." By this Florida means that the Creative Class, in general, strives to live a life that is punctuated with multi-dimensional experiences of an intense and high quality nature. Florida presents research as well as anecdotal evidence that tends to support the otherwise self-evident notion that exposure to a vast array of life experiences tends to inspire and enhance creativity.

     The final section of the book is made up of five chapters that deal with community. This is perhaps the most provocative part of the book; it certainly accentuates the main theme that resonates throughout The Rise of the Creative Class. Florida argues that location is extremely important to creative individuals, and, as such, is integral to the economic development of particular regions. Florida presents a thorough description, backed up with hard data, of the characteristics of places that seem to appeal to the Creative Class.

     The Creative Class, according to Florida, is slowing gravitating away from traditional corporate communities and toward what Florida calls "Creative Class Centers." These Centers are not successful due to the traditional reasons associated economic development; i.e., access to abundant natural resources and/or location close to main transportation routes. They succeed because creative people choose to live there. Florida goes on to explain that the Creative Class does not decide where to live based on considerations that were important to their predecessors: access to sports stadiums, freeways, urban malls, and tourism/entertainment attractions. Instead, what makes a place appealing to creative individuals is the availability of high quality amenities and experiences, a genuine openness to diversity of all kinds, and most important, the opportunity to validate their identities as creative individuals.

     All of the arguments presented in The Rise of the Creative Class revolve around Florida's concept of the creative capital theory of regional economic development. In this theory, regional economic growth is driven by creative people who like to congregate in places that are diverse, tolerant and open to new ideas. The basic idea is that as the concentration of creative capital increases, it inevitably and almost spontaneously leads to higher rates of innovation, high-technology business formation, job generation, and overall economic growth.

     Specifically, Florida believes that for a region to ultimately be successful, it must possess what he calls the "3T's" of economic development: Technology, Talent, and Tolerance. To attract creative individuals, stimulate ongoing innovation, and generate substantive economic growth, a location must have all three components. Florida notes that some cities, despite their strong technological base and world-class cities, fail to grow because they are not sufficiently tolerant and open -- characteristics that are advantageous in the recruitment and retention of creative individuals. He includes Baltimore, St. Louis and Pittsburgh in this category.

     Throughout The Rise of the Creative Class, Florida also tries to dispel several misconceptions that he believes have evolved during the course of the last decade or so. These myths include the notion that technology will eventually liberate us all from the toil of the workplace, that the age of the large corporation is fading fast, and that everyone is becoming an independent agent who only likes to work on ad hoc projects. In each case, Florida argues convincingly that what is often reported in the popular media simply does not reflect what is actually happening in the real world.

     The Rise of the Creative Class offers an original and intriguing view of how economic wealth and power is being re-distributed throughout the world as a result of the rise of a new social and economic class. As Florida notes, roughly one-third of the current workforce in the developed world can legitimately be classified as members of the Creative Class. Anyone attempting to maximize their probability of success in the global marketplace needs to understand, as much as they can, the fundamental changes that lie ahead. Florida's book is a good place to begin that process.