Constrained pathways to a creative urban economy

Shade T Shutters, Rachata Muneepeerakul and José Lobo
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Shade T Shutters: Arizona State University, USA
Rachata Muneepeerakul: University of Florida, USA
José Lobo: Arizona State University, USA

Urban Studies, 2016, vol. 53, issue 16, 3439-3454

Abstract: Creative (knowledge-intensive) occupations are now widely seen as a basis for urban economic prosperity. Yet the transitional pathways from a city’s current economy to a more creative economy are often difficult to discern or to navigate. Here we use a network perspective of occupational interdependencies to address questions of urban transitions to a creative economy. This perspective allows us to assess alternative pathways and to compare cities with regard to their progress along these pathways. We find that US urban areas follow a general trajectory towards a creative economy that requires them to increasingly specialise, not only in creative occupations, but also in non-creative ones – presumably because certain non-creative occupations complement the tasks performed by related creative occupations. This creates a pull towards non-creative occupations that becomes ever stronger as a city moves more towards a creative economy. All in all, cities with the most creative economies must undergo an overall diversification of specialised occupations, with a greater diversification rate for creative occupations, and maintain those creative specialisations despite the pull towards a non-creative economy.

Keywords: economic growth; interdependence; networks; occupations; urban transitions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:53:y:2016:i:16:p:3439-3454

DOI: 10.1177/0042098015616892

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