Ethos Issue 5, Nov 2008

Who's Your City? How the Creative Economy is
Making Where to Live the Most Important
Decision in Your Life
Author: Richard Florida
Published by Basic Books, US:2008
Reviewed by Cai Shan

But why should happiness be important? Florida draws attention to studies demonstrating that place happiness "activates" people to do more and engage in more creative activities that spur economic growth, in a regenerative cycle. So could the geographical clustering of personality types explain regional growth and innovation?

The answer, according to Florida’s data, is a resounding yes. He finds that not only do personality variables explain a substantial portion of regional variance in innovation, talent, income and even housing values, an "open-to-experience" personality is the most consistently linked to regional economic growth.
Openness is also associated with curiosity which predicts where creative people and ideas congregate. In short, openness is a driving factor of regional innovation and growth by helping cities to attract and capitalise on diversity and creativity. Places like London, New York and the San Francisco Bay area are stellar examples of their ability to attract and mobilise "open-to-experience" people.

MOVING THROUGH THE LIFE STAGES
At the end of the book, Florida attempts to make the book of practical use by including a self-help section to guide people in their decisions on the best places to live, particularly for the three big moves they will face in life: when they graduate from college, when they have children, and when their children leave home. The basic considerations—economic opportunity, basic services, security and aesthetics—are necessary but assumed. Instead, the implication Florida makes is that people will move to places that fit their evolving needs as their life phases change, and that places (including cities) will develop specialisations in the life stage they
fit best.

WHOSE CITY IS SINGAPORE?
Given the myriad choice of global destinations, will Singapore emerge as one of the leading "spike" locations attracting the most creative and skilled talent? Florida, as a cartographer of mega-regions, describes Singapore as having become a "top destination for innovative people of all lifestyles and interests". Can we sustain our competitive edge and continue to re-invent ourselves? Should we specialise to cater to a particular phase of life?

It is apparent a city’s success now relies much less on the ownership of factors of production. The critical issue is how to attract enough creative, "open-to-experience" talent who will form a critical mass attracting the inputs of other talents. Perhaps, the first step, relating to Florida’s mapping of place happiness, is to recognise the major role that psychology can play in driving economic structure and growth. We should thus seek to understand what Singapore’s personality is and how it plays out in the global mindshare. Do we give people a sense of openness and welcome? Can people conjure who are the diverse and creative people living in Singapore?

Multi-agency efforts are already in place to brand Singapore in the global consciousness. But whom should we be trying to attract?

The answer is probably young people. Florida describes regions in the US which attract young people as not only as emerging winners in the competition for talent, but also gaining a long-term economic and demographic first-mover advantage that is difficult to catch up with. There is only a small window of opportunity. While young people are the most likely to move of any demographic group, their propensity to re-locate declines sharply with age. Taking account of this effect, the Ministry of Manpower introduced the Work Holiday Programme in 2008 to make it easier for young global talent to work and holiday in Singapore. In the long run, we will need to broaden and deepen our outreach to young students and professionals overseas, an effort which agencies such as Contact Singapore are spearheading.

So will Singapore come to specialise as a place for the young? Probably not. There are several cities which Florida identifies as "generalist places" which not only appeal to people across different life stages but also have thriving economies and societies. Two prime examples of "generalist" locations are the San Francisco Bay area and Boston. On the other hand, Florida and Arizona are "specialised" regions drawing many wealthy retiring baby boomers.

Might Singapore conceivably become a global leisure village for rich retirees or well-established mid-career professionals? One clear adverse effect would be the "gentrification" of place which often pushes up housing prices that, at escalating levels, can inhibit innovation (due to lack of cheap space to house creative activity) and reduce attractiveness to new talent. Greying demographics and extended healthcare needs can also burden the broader economy over time. More critically, as both a nation and a city, Singapore cannot afford to cater only to a particular demographic; instead, it must maximise the gains that diverse groups at different life phases can bring. Indeed, young people would also want solid options as they progress in life, and to be able to exercise real flexibility and choice in career, lifestyle and family size. Singapore has the potential to become an attractive "generalist" hot spot, with distinct, different and inclusive communities that are attractive to different people at various stages in life. This is more likely to encourage the talent that does come to Singapore to stay on for good.

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