Rural Creativity: A Response to Florida

Abstract

I have argued in several recent papers that Florida is incorrect in concluding that "creativity", broadly defined, is much more pronounced in large cosmopolitan cities than in rural regions. Indeed, in Australia, one can make a case that creativity is more entrenched in rural regions than in the major cities. After defending these conclusions, this paper discusses their public policy implications. It argues, first, that creativity has to be an important aspect of regional development in rural regions, and sets that in the context of contemporary development approaches. Secondly, it sketches a hypothetical strategy to raise the incidence of creativity and, importantly, its adoption in the production of commodities, goods and services. Finally, the paper considers the distance between that strategy and current Commonwealth and State policies. In a strange way, governments have the necessary elements in place, but would be hard-pressed to recognise it. This, in turn, raises another interesting question. Do development strategies or policies have to be packaged into a coherent program to have the desired effect? Probably not.