Courting the creative class: new strategies for urban revival: inspired by recent research, city planners have begun to think strategically about attracting a demographic that by its very nature promises to revitalize urban life--the creative class.

What is the "creative class" and how important is this sector of society in fostering urban vitality? In his book The Rise of the Creative Class, George Mason University Professor Richard Florida describes a group of young, educated, highly mobile workers who are employed in information technology, health care, finance, science, the arts and other knowledge-based fields. According to Florida, they represent the future of the U.S. economy.

City planners have typically focused on investment in physical infrastructure, commercial real estate and new housing construction to…