The Founders Lectures: RICHARD FLORIDA Conversations in the Arts

Urban studies theorist Richard Florida is one of the world’s leading public intellectuals. Florida is best known for developing the controversial concept of the “creative class” and its impact on urban regeneration. He argues that metropolitan regions with concentrations of high-tech workers, artists, musicians, lesbians and gay men correlate with a higher level of economic development. He suggests that attracting and retaining high-quality talent, versus a singular focus on infrastructure projects such as sports stadiums, iconic buildings, and shopping centers, would be a better primary use of a city's regeneration resources for long-term prosperity.

Florida’s conception of the creative class was cited as a major breakthrough by the Harvard Business Review. His nationally and internationally best-selling book, The Rise of the Creative Class, received the Washington Monthly’s Political Book Award and his ideas, which have been featured in major ad campaigns, are being used globally to change the way regions, nations, and companies compete. His article “How the Crash Will Reshape America” appears in The Atlantic Monthly’s March 2009 issue.