Following the creative capital model: the social consequences for urban and suburban counties
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Abstract
Many cities have tried different solutions to develop the city economically. The creative capital model of economic development is gaining acceptance as a viable model of development for city planners and mayors (Dreher 2002; Kratke 2010; Long 2009; Peck 2007; Ponzini and Rossi 2010). According to Florida (2002) a city should attract what he termed creative people to aid the city's economic development. These creative class individuals will bring their creative ideas to the city, which will then attract businesses to the city. The arrival of businesses and creative class individuals should create an economic and social panacea for the city. Many studies have examined the economic benefits of the creative capital model (McGranahan and Wojan's 2007; Lee, Florida, and Acs 2004; Ward 2007), but few studies have examined how the social aspects of life would be affected by the creative capital model. The current study used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the FBI Uniform Crime report to examine the effects of creative capital on social development. Urban and suburban counties were examined with age structure, creative segregation, creative exposure, and crime. The findings indicate that the creative capital model produces segregation along class lines, exposure to creative class ideas has been overstated by Florida, and the age structure of the city affects the creativity in the county. Crime may be reduced in creative areas, but with increased segregation some areas may experience an increase in crime.