Richard Florida, “creative class” expert, calls for density vs. sprawl

Interesting POV from Richard Florida (author of the seminal work, The Rise of the Creative Class) in today’s WSJ re: the need for density to spur innovation:

“Nearly every expert on the subject agrees that innovation and productivity are driven by density. For the better part of a century, we’ve subsidized suburbanization. That stimulated consumption of cars and appliances, which drove the industrial economy and allowed families to buy affordable homes. But it also diffused the density that is increasingly required for innovation and growth. Of course, every place does not have to be like Tokyo or Manhattan. Silicon Valley-style density would probably be sufficient. We can still have suburbs, but our economic policy has to start to encourage density, not sprawl.”

I would like to do a Q&A with Mr. Florida here soon about innovation, density, sustainability… let’s see if we can swing that.