I often link in this blog to articles by Richard Florida, even though I disagree with his style of pop economic geography, and his simplistic assumptions about economic development. So as a counter argument I would suggest two articles published in mainstream outlets (i.e. not scientific journals) that debunk Florida's work. The first is a few month's old but very interesting. It was published in the American Prospect in January, although I ounly found it today, and it reflects on how the cities that took his advice are still waiting for a turning point. You can read it here. There is one paragraph that I find particularly funny, as a former manager of Richard Florida talks about his 'rock star' tours after publishing The Rise of the Creative Class:
"There was a tremendous money-generating aspect to Richard's work," Frantz says. "We did it in a grand way. We traveled in style. We stayed in boutique hotels in most of the places we were working." But it is wrong, he says, to see any conflict in Florida's dire pronouncements on the places that bankrolled this success, because he hadn't promised prosperity in the first place. "He wasn't really making prescriptions," Frantz says. "This wasn't Jesus Christ throwing the money men out of the temple; this was an academic. He was a fucking college professor, and you're hoping to resurrect Canton, Ohio? Yeah, good luck with that."
"There was a tremendous money-generating aspect to Richard's work," Frantz says. "We did it in a grand way. We traveled in style. We stayed in boutique hotels in most of the places we were working." But it is wrong, he says, to see any conflict in Florida's dire pronouncements on the places that bankrolled this success, because he hadn't promised prosperity in the first place. "He wasn't really making prescriptions," Frantz says. "This wasn't Jesus Christ throwing the money men out of the temple; this was an academic. He was a fucking college professor, and you're hoping to resurrect Canton, Ohio? Yeah, good luck with that."
The second was published in a magazine called Fast Company. It's a review of his most recent book The Great Reset. Equally very well written, by someone that is clearly familiar with some of the academic debates. It's available here.
