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| THE CREATIVE CLASS AND URBAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT |
| CUI Ren-yuan1, HUO Ming-yuan2 |
1. Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China;
2. Gradute School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China |
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Abstract In the 21st century, with the development of knowledge economy and economy globalization, cities are centers of economic growth and social development of countries and areas. Therefore, developing and enforcing the sustainable ability of a city is very important. Modern economics theories point out that human capital(talent resources), knowledge innovation and institution innovation are the basic reasons of economy growth, in which human is the core, human capital (talent resources) becomes the first capital and the first source and the creative talent is of great value in human capital. The sustainable development of a city must be people foremost and must depend on the creative talents. Richard Florida indicates that with the new economy development, there is a large-scale creative talent group-the creative class-rising in the United States. The creative class will have a great impact on the sustainable development of a city. Some cities will become prosperous by attracting more human capital and the creative class, while in the cities which lose human capital, the creative class will decline. The creative class brings some changes to city space and society in the United States. The creative class theory points out a new way for city sustainable development, which is raising the creative class and fostering them so that they can become the continuous sustainable development energy. Taking some measures to raise the creative class is an important choice in searching urban sustainable development in China. Human settlement construction and institutional innovation are two important and effective factors that have impacts on creative talents. According to the creative class theory and urban amenities theory, the importance of urban human settlement is become more evident because of the creative class. The cities with good human settlement will have high urban amenities and can provide good inhabitation conditions required by the creative class and therefore attracting more human capitals and the creative class. Human settlement construction can be used to attract human capital and the creative class and play their roles. Human Settlement construction includes physical environment and human environment. Both of them are very important. Moreover, human environment should be paid more attention. According to the new institution economics and creative environment theory, human must live in a certain institutional environment and innovation needs an institutional environment suitable. Institution innovation should be given freedom. No freedom, no innovation and no innovation, no development. Institution innovation and suitable institution environment building should be considered from many aspects in a city. Institution is always operated in a certain culture atmosphere. The new culture which encourages innovation should be constructed in a city so as to make the institution innovation effective. To Summarize, human foremost is a basic principle to pursue the sustainable development in a modern city. We should try our best to bring human creativity and enthusiasm into play, especially bring the creativity and enthusiasm of the creative talents.
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Received: 29 September 2005
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2007, Vol. 22 
