Migration, Mobility and the Creative Class: (New Horizons in Regional Science series)

Migration, Mobility and the Creative Class challenges contemporary conceptions of the mobility of the creative worker. Exploring the differences between a range of historical, political, and social contexts, this forward-thinking book contests the validity and logic of policymakers’ strategies to attract the creative class, and emphasises the need for a reassessment of the plans employed for local and regional development. Drawing on detailed biographical life-course information obtained through in-depth interviews with creative workers, this book refutes established ideas that creative workers are a unique, autonomous and highly mobile group. Documenting empirical findings, it highlights how the migration and occupation patterns of creative workers are intimately connected with their early family experiences and to their social class. Ultimately, this innovative book recommends that policy should redirect its focus away from migration and towards creating places with good schools, affordable housing, sustainable jobs and strong connections across communities. Pairing in-depth case studies with established theoretical grounding, this book will be a fascinating read for academics, researchers and students specialising in economic geography, regional economics, migration and human geography. Its unique insights and practical policy recommendations will also be of benefit to those working in town planning, regional policy development and the creative industries.

Table of Contents:
Contents: 1 Introduction to Migration, Mobility and the Creative Class 2 Fascination with and the need to attract the creative class 3 Context matters: design and demographics 4 The Baby Boomers 5 Generation X 6 The Millennials 7 Conclusion to Migration, Mobility and the Creative Class Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Ellen Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Digital Business, Bristol Business School, University of the West of England, Bristol, Don J. Webber, Professor of Managerial Economics, Sheffield University Management School, The University of Sheffield and Glenn Parry, Professor of Digital Transformation, Surrey Business School, University of Surrey, UK

Review :
‘For over one hundred years, successive governments in the UK and elsewhere have explored and experimented with new approaches to regional policy. Richard Florida’s advocacy on behalf of the role of the creative class provides one well known contribution; however, it has not been subjected to rigorous empirical evaluation. This book provides an important contribution with its focus on the role of migration and especially on the role of repeat or what the authors term Yo-Yo migration. This insightful text suggests that place creation and identity may be continually changing through a complex supply-demand dynamic within and across a multi-level structure of large metropolitan areas. A strong contribution of this text is the bringing to light of the role of family structure and associated support networks that have conditioned and facilitated the movement of the creative class. The findings suggest strong linkages to recent initiatives associated with smart specialization strategy and, more broadly, a need to focus less on individuals and more on the broader socio-economic system in which we all operate. This timely book should encourage more research on the importance of family ties in shaping migration patterns and regional socioeconomic development.’