Art galleries, coffee houses, and software companies don’t actually bring all that much to cities after all. They just move problems elsewhere, foster gated communities, and exacerbate income divides.
Art galleries, coffee houses, and software companies don’t actually bring all that much to cities after all. They just move problems elsewhere, foster gated communities, and exacerbate income divides.
So we should have let manhattan remain a crime infested disaster- thatbthat owuldnhave been better for the economy?
That’s a silly notion. What Richard Florida et al got wrong was the assumption that this wonderful change that has happened in many western cities did not solve or eliminate problems of crime and poverty. Such utopian ideas were never going to become reality.
Just another failed case of messing with the marker. The market always always always wins
When you take all the manufacturing economy of a nation and ship it overseas, then make chic lofts and cafes out of the empty weaving mills and iron foundries, all you’ve done is idle half the population.
Instead of doing things and making things, the working class slings coffee and flips croissants. It is now the Barista Class. Its not an improvement.
The former MP in my riding owned and ran several coffee bars. His solution to economic hardship was to simply open another one.
I think that was one reason he was punted out of office a few years ago. Unfortunately, his successor is a do-nothing leftist former professor and she’s a Dipper.
Richard Florida’s case is simply another example of theory slamming head-first into reality.
Similar weenie BS in small town Alberta. Coffee houses? EV charging stations? All the same empty hype about the economic and environmental benefits.
Just (once again) revisiting the Tesla electric car charger in Fort Macleod. After about 9 months, I’ve yet to see one EV charging there. And, yet, here is what the town’s CAO said last December.
“The economic development impact is phenomenal,” she said.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/tesla-charging-station-fort-macleod-1.3916681
Right. Just leftist green, yuppie, millennial BS.
But is organic, free-range BS so will save the world. /sarc
“the working class slings coffee and flips croissants. It is now the Barista Class. Its not an improvement. “
I dunno…it is nice not to have to work outside in the blowing snow and pouring rain.
(No I don’t actually work in a coffee shop, and I left the Lower Mainland 3 years ago and I ain’t going back. Draw your own conclusions as to why… 🙂
I suspect he won’t be returning any of his fat consulting and speaking fees, though.
Edward Teach said: “I dunno…it is nice not to have to work outside in the blowing snow and pouring rain.”
It is nice to be air conditioned in summer and heated in winter. But, having done both jobs, I’d prefer to be scraping paint in the summer sun at the top of a 20ft ladder to serving overpriced coffee to snotty hipsters. I might get sunburned and bit by bugs, and ladders are dangerous, but at least I wouldn’t have a nervous breakdown. Mental health is important.
“Combining census data on occupation, education, “coolness factor” (based on the number of young people and the quality of “nightlife and culture”) and, bizarrely, the number of gay male residents, he developed a “Bohemia Index” to calculate this group’s magical effect on urban economic growth.”
This guy is so creative, he should be designing computer models for the Global Warming Industry.
When the left, and these folks epitomize the left, prefer some occupations over others, they tend to favour those that don’t involve physical work like making things, digging up stuff or cutting down tall living things. While doing “battle” with greens, they used to throw out the bromide that recreation and tourism was so much more valuable to the economy than forestry. While we could quantity the high paying jobs and government revenue, they could only throw out bogus accommodation stats which included everyone’s hotel stays regardless of purpose of travel. None were willing to put the debate to the ultimate test – privatizing the disputed forested area, allowing the economic rent of the highest-use to prevail (even though tourism and forestry are NOT mutually exclusive). Political “solutions” were so much more productive to the greens as they could leverage their money one hundred-fold through emotional influence rather than the market. In today’s disputes, the greens don’t have to justify anything real as they are “saving” the planet’s climate and the political class is in their pocket.
As the welfare state collapses, there will be a whole lot of useless people grovelling for benefits while those gated communities will have to employ a lot of security people to keep the rable out.
t
The moral of the story is there are always going to be a certain number of messed up, shitty people.
The moral of the story is there are always going to be a certain number of messed up, shitty people.
Johnny, yah ever hear of Venezuela:-))))
YES! As always happens when idealists with no sense of historical perspective are allowed to implement their ideas.
My 15-year-old son and I headed to our favourite noodle shop after his baseball tournament in one of Toronto’s sub-cities. A young hipster couple (you know clothing one size to small, ironic facial hair–both man and woman) entered behind us. Male hipster, Star Bucks smoothie tucked ironically in the crook of his arm, pointed to the wall at a picture of a noodle dish piled high with bbq pork, chicken and shrimp and asked the cashier if it was available as a vegetarian alternative.
I had to restrain my son. He wanted to go punch him. These are the “young, educated,tolerant and flexible” web page designing idiots Florida thought would be beneficial to cities.
And let me add, that this sort of “creativity” over “practicality” socialist clarion call has permeated ALL facets of our government. Common Core for example, the latest “new” educational system intended to lift American children’s (now decidedly non-white, and poor) falling test scores, specifically rewards “creativity” of students … over “practicality”. Now … our Federal Educational “standards” actually REWARDS children for reporting that 2+2=22 … not 4 … if they can provide a bullshitty reason as to why they have “creatively” arrived at that answer. Because … after all … “creativity”, not “technical” rote skills are what has MADE the “new economy” thrive. America can always import the “technicians” from India or China on H1b Visas to provide the … “skills Americans JUST WON’T learn”
In the shallow minds of the BA-class … Apple computer has become wildly $$$ successful ONLY because a Zen-practicing “Artist” named Steven Jobs made colorful plastic cases for the personal computer. It had nothing to do with the technical development of a user-friendly operating system, or the technical manufacturing capabilities of miniaturization.
The elevation of the “Arts” as supreme in the “new economic paradigm” of post-Capitalism … simply condemns huge swaths of our population to abject poverty (and massive $$ college debt). PS … I really appreciate the “artistry” of my barista when she traces pictures in my latte foam. Here’s a quarter for your efforts.
*
went to kingston, ontario yesterday to do some shopping… they have a lee valley tools… and ran smack into an… wait for it… anti-nazi demonstration. they were taking up half the street and the imbeciles at the front with the banner kept pushing over into the other lane to totally stop traffic.
the usual mix of smelly old hippies and obvious welfare types. one east indian woman and a half dozen chinese (obvious university students), but otherwise hastily recruited po’ white trailer trash.
asked the female bicycle cop leading the ensemble whether they actually had a significant nazi problem in kingston… she smiled, shrugged and looked away. half a dozen cops who wouldn’t be fighting crime just babysitting these fools for hours.
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And the HARSHEST of all lessons taught by the “New Urbanism’s” celebration of “Artist-centric” cities …
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/04/us/warehouse-party-fire-oakland-search.html
Cities filled with “Artist lofts” and “Live-work” spaces! Brilliant mates! Who needs the “old rules” of our fathers generation? Things like “Fire Codes” and “Building Codes”. Communist Mayors like Libby Schaaf of Oakland sent the clear political message to her Police and Fire Departments to “not hassle” the poor, but “creative” … “Artists” squatting in squalid warehouses. Who knows? These “live-work” spaces are probably incubating the next Apple or HP … riiiight now! Hey! Those GIANTS were born in garages!
I don’t believe the LEFT ever calculates the unintended consequences of their feel-good, do-good, “alternative” lifestyles. Hey! no more separate male and female restrooms in CA … BY LAW! … what could possibly go wrong.
You should try “BERLIN” (Kitchener), Ontario.
They just have heaps of goosestepping Nazis in swag Hugo Boss uniforms… sarc/ off
Gee, I think the Nazis actually surrendered sometime in 1945, maybe they skipped/failed history class.
BTW Peace, Love and all that, cause we wouldn’t want to compromise one’s Simon Pure virtue signalling 🙂
So the putzes are fighting the fight that was won 70 and 150 odd years ago. The leftist printing presses and news releases are mighty slow!
They should try and catch up…
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group ‘True North’
Captcha hilarity: CLOVER Strasse
I have never heard of Richard Florida before today but I have to agree with what I read. A living testimony to the enclave mentality is Edmonton where once the sport venues, museums etc were scattered across the city in an egalitarian manner but since Mandel decided to renew the downtown the city core has become off limits to the average suburbanite. The streets are closed to traffic and the parking lots are too expensive to contemplate using. Bike lanes are everywhere and sidewalks are covered with pubs and coffee shops. Unless you live in the inner core you are not welcome.
It seems strange to throw software development in with artists and coffee houses. These are very disparate things.
Throughout America … Zoning codes specify the MINIMUM number of parking stalls required per bedroom of housing units. Usually 1-per-bedroom +\- … to ensure adequate storage area dedicated for automobiles. However NEW Zoning codes in the city of San Francisco mandate the MAXIMUM number of parking stalls allocated to housing units (usually less than 1/2 stall per unit). The LEFTIST theory being that “if you DON’T build it, they WON’T come” (automobiles, that is). Yes … the same city that has a group affectionately (not) called “Critical Massholes” who routinely, illegally, BLOCK city streets on Friday afternoons to thwart Suburban commuters from driving into or out of the City. The city that HATES “traditional” Suburban values.
For THIS and other reasons … I refer to San Francisco as the “Island of Misfit Toys”. Yes, I know, it is a Peninsula, not an island, however … they have effectively cut-off all land access via their WAR on the automobile.
So Florida may be right about the problems of inner cities (although he was admittedly wrong before) but he has no constructive solutions. How much will he pay me to buy his new book?
WIGTON
Unless you live in the inner core you are not welcome.
I live near Southgate and most of what I need is within easy reach by walking, bike, or Edmonton Transit.
I prefer to avoid sections like downtown or Scona because they’ve become far too bewildering or snooty for my liking.
It seems strange to throw software development in with artists and coffee houses.
Ah, but according to many hipsters, artists are superior programmers because they’re so… so… creative! (Uh-huh. I don’t know too many artists who can come up with half-decent numerical simulation algorithms.)
As for coffee houses, most of the techies I knew when I worked in the business preferred going to a nearby watering hole where one was allowed to become rowdy and cutting loose.
I’m a silverback, so maybe that sort of thing was typical of my generation.
Lee Valley? Curb your privilege, man! That has to to be the whitest and oldest store in Canada since Marks & Spencer shut down!
Nice planes, though. Excellent value.
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Im confoosed. isn’t this supposed to be an example of ‘trickle down economics’ espoused by the late, great ronnie raygun?
p.s., a total of THREE *more* coffee shops have opened just this yr within short walking distance of my place. is this the new ‘bubble’?