Employment a Missing Variable in Richard Florida Economic Development?

With all the talk of generating vibrant communities with places to play and interact I’ve often wondered if there is too much emphasis on people being able to live and play in a community vs. being able to work there.   Many communities around the US have committed to entertainment and shopping venues in their downtown areas.  They have made PLAY a central feature of their economic development initiatives with not as much focus on WORK.  I think that the assumption is that by having a quirky, creative, lively and attractive urban area talent and Mr. Florida’s creative class will be enticed to LIVE and WORK in such an area.

One case study in this, is my hometown Louisville, KY.  During my graduate education in Urban Planning there I had the opportunity to observe and learn from a Mayor who wanted revitalize downtown areas with vibrant entertainment facilities, options for downtown living and increased business growth.  Policy was highly focused on job creation and business incubation in downtown Louisville. It drew from example locations that fostered innovation and creative economies such as Portland, Raleigh-Durham, and the Silicon Valley.  Much of it was based on recommendations from Harvard economist Michael Porter and his report for Louisville in 2002.  Porter believed in business clusters; that the synergies between different job sectors could be in Metro-Louisville’s strengths – technology providing the infrastructure for manufacturing and distribution sectors.  Porter noted strength in companies like Humana (health care sector) and UPS (warehousing and distribution sector).  It’s a bit more technical than Florida’s writing and provides a solid economic base for creative endeavors.

That said, in recent years I’ve watched central focus of economic development become the creation of entertainment / retail districts and a  downtown arenas.   I’ve talked to many locals who believe that the arena (pictured below) will bring money into the community, encourage innovation, community investment and talent retention.

Louisville Downtown Area, Courtesy Louisville Courier Journal

Knowing that something about that strikes me as a bit fishy  Retaining talent is a critical part of job growth, but does a arena or entertainment district really change talent retention.   Could people really afford to live and play where they can’t work; where there may not be adequate professional opportunities?  I would argue that when adequately salaried jobs opportunities are not present there is simply no foundation for people to sustainably support an entertainment economy.

And the fact remains that, like many smaller cities around the world, Louisville remains talent deficient.  As a Brookings Institute report Beyond Merger indicated, while there may be clear past economic policy there is,

“… a talent shortfall…  Talent powers growth; talent brings homegrown jobs, new companies, and higher wages… (highly skilled minds are needed) to move beyond its current status and go to the next level of competitiveness in the emerging economy.”

A lesson to be learned by all urban designers and community planning aficionados…