The Creative Class Group will embark on a variety of initiatives influenced by the creative group they have identified. They will perform research to help Le Méridien identify new development opportunities by applying their exclusive ‘creativity index’, using the Creative Class Group’s one-of-a-kind framework; technology + talent + tolerance and territorial assets. CCG will help to connect Le Méridien hotels to key contacts in each city from the fields of tourism, culture, art, design and cuisine. They will work to acquire influential speakers to participate in “New Perspective Events” at Le Méridien hotels across the globe. CCG  will also curate content for the ‘Hub’ libraries selected based on their research on the core attributes, values and preferences of the Creative Class. The books selected will comprise of a mix of contemporary and foundational books about creative culture in the arts, design, economy and society, as well as localized books reflecting each cities history and characteristics.

Read the full release here.

Photo © Ralph Gibson

“Our research examines the role of post-industrial structures and values on happiness across the nations of the world. We argue that these structures and values shape happiness in ways that go beyond the previously examined effects of income. Our analysis explores whether income has different effects on countries at different stages of economic development. Our results indicate that post-industrial structures and values have a stronger effect on happiness in higher income countries, where the standard of living has surpassed a certain level. Income, on the other hand, has a stronger impact on happiness in low-income countries.”

Read the full article here

Fiat is looking to follow Mini’s lead when it comes to customization for consumers. “The personalization is something that customers want.” The design centers inside the dealership will be a lot like the ones you’d find in a new subdivision, with lots of choices. “Those are all of the different 14 interiors, exteriors,” Soave said, “but you can mix and match, and that’s part of the deal.”  … these design centers are not strictly up-sell areas. Depending on the shopper, though, they can be.

The full story is here.

My new paper with Charlotta Mellander and Jason Rentfrow examines the role of the creative class and other markers of post-industrial societies and happiness. Here’s the abstract:

Our research examines the role of post-industrial structures and values on happiness across the nations of the world. We argue that these structures and values shape happiness in ways that go beyond the previously examined effects of income. Drawing from previous theory and research, we measured post-industrial structures in terms of higher level education and the share of the workforce engaged in knowledge-based/ creative work. Post-industrial values were measured in terms of acceptance of racial and ethnic minorities and of gays and lesbians. Our measure of happiness is derived from a large-scale global survey of life satisfaction conducted by the Gallup Organization. We controlled for income in our analyses and divided our sample into high- and low-income countries to explore whether income has different effects on countries at different stages of economic development. Our results indicate that post-industrial structures and values have a stronger effect on happiness in higher-income countries, where the standard of living has surpassed a certain level. Income, on the other hand, has a stronger impact on happiness in low-income countries. Thus, we propose that when income rises beyond a certain level, a new system of post-industrial values centered on education, creativity, and openness become better predictors of happiness than income.

The full paper is here.

That’s the title of this Wall Street Journal story on a new Rockefeller Foundation Initiative to support the creative class.

To assure the city remains the cultural and creative leader of the world, the Rockefeller Foundation is giving more than $3 million to support local artists and arts organizations.

More than 400 applicants vied for a chance to receive two-year grants, ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. Eighteen winners were chosen, including Bowery Arts & Science, to project the works of poets onto walls and buildings in city neighborhoods and the City University of New York Institute for Sustainable Cities in partnership with Artist as Citizen, to create an online atlas that traces the city’s environmental transformation and maps out the future of the city’s environment …

“It’s a new business model that builds the financial resilience of the arts sector while maintaining the artistic capacity,” says Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation.

More than two-thirds of arts organizations in New York plan to reduce their budgets this year and 42% may cancel or postpone programs, according to a May study from the Alliance for the Arts, a nonprofit research group.

Stepping into stem the losses are organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation and the Open Society Institute, which recently awarded $11 million to performing arts groups.

“Even before the recession, New York was losing ground as the world’s creative capital,” Ms. Rodin says. “The stakeholders of the arts and culture in New York do not want to see that happen.”

The full story is here.

Food is increasingly a key element of the city and of city life. Ever at the cutting-edge of trends that are reshaping the city, Chicago Mayor Rich Daley has become the No. 1 ambassador for the city’s world-class food scene, according to this report in The New York Times.

The mayor’s pride in Chicago’s growing stature in the world of haute cuisine was on display again this week. After Mr. Daley spent much of last week in Idaho at a conference of the nation’s news media moguls, his next two public appearances in Chicago involved promoting the local gastronomy scene

The mayor made a stop at the French Pastry School on Monday to promote its expansion into new teaching kitchens at the City Colleges of Chicago. The school’s chefs had recently visited City Hall to present the mayor with a chocolate replica of the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup trophy. The mayor beamed below the brim of a tall chef’s hat” …  “He’s the best cheerleader for the industry that anybody could ask for,” said Sheila O’Grady, the mayor’s former chief of staff who is now president of the Illinois Restaurant Association.”

Money quote: “These chefs, to me, represent the creative class of society,” Mr. Daley said. “We have to realize how important they are to the city.”

A headline on the Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog blasts: “Can Apple Maintain Status as Religion of the ‘Creative Class’?”

Apple’s core following has traditionally been the creative class. They are graphic designers and artists, and they constitute a “church” of sorts… Apple in a sense cultivated this “underdog” or creative-class status to successfully market its products. Consider Apple’s “Think Different” ad campaign, or its ubiquitous Apple vs. PC ads featuring a young, hip Justin Long… With the release of the iPad, the question is whether Apple can maintain this “underdog” or special status… Still, the iPad is a new kind of product for Apple, one geared not so much to its traditional creative class or “inner church,” as to a general audience merely interested in viewing media and not creating it.

The editor of Make Magazine, Dale Dougherty, is concerned that the iPad is just another consumer platform. “The web has made producers of us all. If the iPad is just another consumer platform for consuming and not creating content, then it will just be another way to watch TV or listen to music or download information,” he writes.  For the iPad’s longterm success, he says, Apple needs to make it easier to create content and apps for the iPad — in other words cater it more toward Apple’s traditional core “creative class.”

More of a consumer product than, say, the iPod, or iPhone, or iTouch, Apple seems to recognize the fundamental fact hipsters and digerati sometimes forget: “Every single human being is creative.” And the key to long-run economic success is to enable that.

Richard recently appeared on Big Think to share his ideas on how the Creative Class is impacting the way businesses think.

“Now more than ever, companies need unconventional thinking to work within the new rules set by the economic recession. Richard Florida has persuasively demonstrated how artists, scientists, engineers, writers, musicians and more can revitalize an entire city from urban decay. With today’s companies dealing with a deep recession, what can members of the Creative Class do for businesses?”

Check out the interview here.

Richard Florida is in Boston today at the Massachusetts Municipal Association, serving as the keynote speaker for their annual meeting. From their website:

The MMA Annual Meeting and Trade Show is the largest regular gathering of Massachusetts local government officials. The two-day event features educational workshops, nationally recognized speakers, awards programs, a large trade show, and an opportunity to network with municipal officials from across the state.

The MMA’s Annual Meeting is your best single opportunity to:

• Learn about solutions to problems facing your community
• Meet people who can assist you with resources and ideas
• Learn about valuable products and services for cities and towns
• Attend programs that will strengthen your ability to lead and serve your community

What opportunities does your community offer to engage with other residents and incite change?