[Mpls] "Urban Legends" from The New Republic: Debunking Richard Florida-ism

[Christy Nicklas]

It may be "common sense", but the man is taking on statements and positions 
attributed to Richard Florida that the man never made. Florida is not 
impressed with stadiums, and in a recent interview with Salon, he basically 
said that people generally don't opt to move to a metropolitan area because 
of the stadium. Focus is not cities, but metropolitan areas, because he 
isn't painting this as city-against-suburb, but as metro area against metro 
area. The point of his original writing was that places like Kansas City - 
which have all but abandoned the city - are going to have a tough time 
competing with an urban area - like Minneapolis - with decent museums and, 
yes, parks.
 The education issue is relevant, police protection, justice, all of those 
matter. But having the weekend roll around and having somewhere to go and 
something to do - that still matters to a lot of us. How Florida's research 
got dragged into this stadium thing, I have no idea. There is nothing about 
a baseball stadium that says "magnet for the creative class".
 I've lived in a lot of places, but I choose to live in Minneapolis - I like 
the restaurants, I like the views along the parkways, I like the parks 
system, I like live music, I like the selection of films, and I like the 
fact that I can bike to work without getting myself killed. I don't think 
I'm particularly atypical.
 Christy Nicklas
Nokomis


 On 5/26/05, Dorie Rae Gallagher <hoboanne at velotel.com> wrote: 
> 
> 
> > "Cities must return to a progressive focus on fixing their real
> > problems--that is, the problems of the majority of the people who live
> > there--not serving the interests of artists, hipsters, and their wealthy
> > patrons. Right now* school reform is often hostage to the power of
> > teachers' unions*. **City budgets**, which could be applied to improving
> > economic infrastructure, are** frequently bloated** by, among other
> > things, excessive * public sector employment and overgenerous pensions*.
> > In the contest for the remaining public funds, the knitted interests of 
> *
> > downtown property holders*, *arts foundations*, *sports promoters*, and
> > nightclub owners often overwhelm those of more conventional small
> > businesses and family-oriented neighborhoods that could serve as havens
> > for the middle class"
> 
> That writer must be a fabulist...not in Minneapolis!!!
> Thanks Mike, for revealing some common sense worth repeating.
> 
> Dorie Rae Gallagher
> Nokomis
> 
> 
> >
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