The limited potential of the creative city concept: Policy practices in four Dutch cities

The creative economy is considered to be crucial for urban growth in the twenty-first century. Many professionals and academics emphasise the dynamic role played by creative production in the urban economy, and in particular the production of commercialised cultural goods and services. Others attribute importance to the roles played by amenities, leisure, entertainment and a thriving cultural life. They consider consumption to be either a direct source of urban economic performance, or something that adds quality of place and attracts businesses and professionals. Richard Florida is an exponent of the latter thesis. His ideas (Florida, 2002, 2005) have provoked a lively debate in the Netherlands, and some cities have suddenly developed ambitions to become creative cities. This paper explores how Floridas thesis has impacted on recent urban policy in the Netherlands. It does so by means of case studies of the four largest Dutch cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. These case studies suggest that the impact of Floridas thesis has been very limited, and this is linked to the more general lack of potential in Floridas thesis for implementation in practice.