Richard Florida: From the Creative Class to the New Urban Crisis

On October 17, 2019, best-selling author Richard Florida released the report “Philadelphia's Next Challenge: From Urban Revitalization to Inclusive Prosperity,” a summary of his research as the inaugural Philadelphia Fellow, a joint initiative of the Science Center, Thomas Jefferson University, and Drexel University. The following day, he spoke to an audience of students, faculty, professionals, and members of the public at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design about how his experiences living in different North American cities inspired his landmark 2002 book, The Rise of the Creative Class, as well as his most recent book, The New Urban Crisis.

Florida proposes that unlike mid-20th century urban crises, which were largely characterized by economic decline and dysfunction, contemporary urban issues are instead a product of the sudden appeal and revitalization of American cities. He describes a reversal in national urban trends that began in 1980, when the urban-rural divide was at its most extreme and inspired young adults to start moving into depopulated city centers.

For Philadelphia in recent years, Florida found that certain neighborhoods—such as Center City and University City—are experiencing rapid growth due in large part to the influx of creative-class young adults moving from outside the city. Knowledge hubs specifically form around clustered amenities such as physical fitness studios, coffee shops, universities, and transit lines, and the shift these areas experience has led to greater inequality and homogeneity. Though this tendency may clash with the principles of planners and local officials, Florida noted that this troubling pattern means “the most ‘successful’ places have the highest rate of segregation and spatial separation.” This has led to a shift in urban demographics more broadly, whereby neighborhoods which were once bastions of affordability have seen their rates of middle-class residents drop from 75% to as low as 25%. This shrinking of middle class communities, which parallels the polarization of opportunity in cities, is what Florida refers to as “the new urban crisis.” In Philadelphia, the need for affordable housing and good jobs is at the center of addressing this crisis.

While Philadelphia’s urban revival may differ from places like New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle—which Florida dubs “superstar cities”—he stresses that the city’s relative affordability doesn’t excuse policymakers from incorporating inclusion and equity into their agendas. Florida also notes that universities like Penn have a role to play in driving these transitions, and that proper precautions must be made to ensure that growth off campus occurs in an equitable way. Philadelphia’s challenge for the immediate future, Florida predicts, will be to bridge its increasingly divided spaces and extend newfound opportunities so the city’s prosperous neighborhoods reflect the diversity of its residents.