Creative Cities as places for knowledge-intensive economies: The cases of Dublin and Gothenburg

Abstract

In recent city planning, references to the concepts of the so-called creative class and the creative city are often to be found. How do those references affect the actual planning? My research on the cities of Dublin (Ireland) and Gothenburg (Sweden) shows that Richard Florida's concept of the creative class serves as a point of reference in both cases. Although the cities have specific ways of integrating the concept in their planning, they have one thing in common: the promotion of knowledge-intensive economies. That comes along with a specific understanding of creativity: it is understood as innovation. Two examples show that knowledge-intensive economies are decidedly used to enhance and/or convert certain neighborhoods. In that sense, promoting the creative economy affects both urban space(s) and the perception of the inhabitants. Therefore, governing a city by use of specific ideas has an impact, not least on the built environment.