Calling on the creative class: an emerging population is identified that could provide economic benefits to parks and recreation.

We are fortunate if, during our lifetimes, we are exposed to the thoughts and perspectives of those individuals who take it upon themselves to analyze and explain the elements of life that contribute to our contemporary understanding of culture and society. William Whyte's 1954 classic, The Organization Man, and John Naisbitt's Megatrends of the late 1980s are examples of this type of research and writing. Frequently the most enlightening reflections on leisure and recreation come from outside our profession. The impact of texts by Sebastian DeGrazia, Josef Pieper, Max Kaplan, Jeremy Rifkin and most recently Dr. Richard Florida, provide both the practitioner and scholar with an opportunity to expand one's understanding of the sociological and economic implications of leisure and recreational activity.

Richard Florida's 2002 best-seller, The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life, was named by Harvard Business Review as one of the top breakthrough ideas in 2004. Florida is currently the Hirst Professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Within his book, Florida accurately identifies recreational activities and places them as critical in the development of effective workplaces and creative, engaging communities. His observations are of what he describes as the "Creative Class," which is an emerging group that comprises 30 percent of our population. Their choices could benefit parks and recreation.

Creative Class Revealed

Florida defines creativity as the driving force behind economic and social change in contemporary society. Creativity also provides the competitive advantage in modern societies; those who continue to create continue to succeed. Florida illustrates the natural progression from the working class, to the service class, to the new creative class as the natural evolution of the economic norms in our society. The creative class, according to Florida, is much less apt to identify itself with an organization or the type of work its members perform. This new class craves flexibility in order to pursue meaningful activities outside the workplace. For the creative worker, choosing a job may have more to do with the recreational opportunities available in a community than with the 401K contributions included in the corporate benefits package.

While the book tends to focus on the needs of the 20-something creative class worker, the implications of this book are relevant to our profession. Based on research and the development of social models, Florida describes trends that may impact society's perception of the value of recreational services. "We've found that amenities like the opera and ballet are nice, but no longer sufficient to lure people to communities and cities," Florida says. "Parks, bike trails, riverfront, public spaces, recreational facilities--all of these things help drive locational decisions in the creative economy."

In the past decade, many positive developments have improved community leaders' and citizens' perceptions regarding the importance of recreational facilities and opportunities to the quality of life. More recently, through economic recreation analysis programs like the California VIP program, the real impact of the economic value of recreation has been enhanced.

Florida's writings, whose pervasiveness has helped form our vision of 21st century societies, provide the recreational professional with an alternative and engaging view of the role of recreational services in society. "There is wide agreement among economists and political and business leadership that technology and talent--what I think of as human creativity--are drivers of economic growth," Florida says. "What's less well understood is how to unlock that technology and talent. I believe the answer lies in tolerance, a proactive openness and inclusiveness that allows places to tap into and harness human creativity from all walks of life. Do this, and your region or organization will prosper and grow."

Authenticating the Human Experience

Florida contends that creative people are seeking genuine life experiences, ones that are unique and "real." He identifies our consumer society as generic, where chain restaurants, big box stores and sanitized forms of entertainment all stifle creativity. "It really goes beyond mere tolerance and politically correct lip-service, to valuing the unique contribution of every individual," he says.

Creative environments, on the other hand, are typified by diversity and multiple lifestyle choices that allow for more holistic living, blurring the lines between work and leisure. "These are communities that have embraced the idea that human creativity is to be valued, encouraged and cultivated. They actively seek to unlock the creativity inherent in all human beings," Florida says. "These places have a community for everyone, a place where nearly kind of human being can fit in--and therefore contribute socially, culturally and economically."

Parks and other significant spaces provide for genuine interaction with nature and with others who appreciate the tangible benefits of authentic recreation. Leisure, whether experienced in the outdoors or through what Florida calls the street scene mix of cultural experiences, is of paramount importance. "When peoples' minds and bodies are in tune with the community and the physical space around them, their creativity flourishes. A synthesis of ideas becomes possible, and the resulting economic value creation is of crucial importance to the community as a whole, as well as the person," he says.

Recreational activities are crucial to self-knowledge and self-expression, both of which support a creative lifestyle. Municipal recreation professionals can contribute to creative capital by providing "the kinds of physical and social spaces where people love to live, play-and even work nowadays (with the advent of cell phones, wireless Internet and high mobility technology)," Florida says.

Required Reading

As professionals called upon to do more with less in increasingly restrictive financial environments, it is advisable to seek out and use support to help fund parks and recreation. In an effort to better prepare future recreational service leaders, I have included The Rise of the Creative Class as required reading in our senior management class for recreational service majors. This book is strongly recommended for individuals within all sectors of recreational services. It is engaging and well-written, thought provoking and supportive of our collective mission as contributors to the economic and social well-being of our communities.

For more information on Dr. Florida's book and achievements, visit www. creativeclass.org. Florida recently released his follow-up book, The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent. "It has everything to do with the global creative economy, and with how countries, cities, companies and communities are dealing with the intense competition this economy brings with it," Florida comments. "We've got some serious work to do here in our country; it won't be a walk in the park. Pun intended."

How Does Your City Rank?

Dr. Florida lives in Washington, D.C., where his city ranks as second in attracting the creative class. Florida chooses it for its invaluable park and public places, among other creative class services. "I really can't imagine my life without such services," he says. "I bike and go to the gym regularly, and enjoy a nice leisurely stroll through the park on occasion. These places and experiences inspire and invigorate me on a daily basis, and they make me proud of the place I live."

Below is a top I0 list of cities with the largest population of creative class residents.

Creative                                               Percent
  Class                                               of Total
Ranking    Region                                   Population

     1.    Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.              39.65
     2.    Washington, D.C.-Baltimore, Md.               39.53
     3.    Austin-San Marcos, Texas                      37.27
     4.    Boston-Worchester-Lawrence, Mass.             36.85
     5.    Hartford, Conn.                               36.66
     6.    San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Calif.        36.30
     7.    Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.                   35.02
     8.    Denver-Boulder-Greeley, Ohio                  34.14
     9.    Seattle-Tacoma- Bremerton, Wash.              34.03
    10.    Atlanta, Ga.                                  33.50

* City rankings courtesy of the Richard Florida Creativity Group,
www.creativeclass.org.