Building a creative community (part 2)

Continuing yesterday’s blog, here’s the rest of Fast Company magazine’s rulesfor establishing a creative community.

6. Teach them a new language – The creative community needs to learn the ‘language’ of placemaking and economic development in real estate and economic terms (ie new urbanism, economic gardening, so that they can apply their market insight into the built environment.

7. Allow time for blue-sky thinking – This is the importance of third places, where creatives share ideas and begin transforming them into action items. Without convenient places to meet, the spontaneous combustion required for new businesses has no chamber to ignite in.

8. Protect your team from creativity killers – The creatives need a liaison to help communicate their vision to the municipality and investors, otherwise these traditional powers that be find it all too easy to either dismiss their vision, or much worse, misinterpret it.

9. Add liberal doses of fun – The third places need to have great food, drink and live music. They need to have ongoing events, like West Palm Beach’s city-sponsored Thursday night downtown parties. Not only are weekend events, great entertainment and thriving nightlife good for creativity, they’re even better for the economy, both short-term (revenues) and long-term (attracting the creatives that produce jobs.)

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