Richard Florida to Critics: You're No Fun

Richard Florida stands up to critics of The Rise of the Creative Class in The Next American City:

The great urbanist Jane Jacobs has a word for this kind of person. What distinguishes thriving cities from those that stagnate and decline is a group of people she calls the "squelchers." Squelchers, she explains, are those political, business, and civic leaders that divert human creative energy by posing roadblocks and saying "no" to new ideas. What worries me is that, even when they are wrong on the facts, my critics continue to provide ample ammunition for squelchers.

Warning: there are charts and graphs. But for those who have been following the "creative class" debate, it should hold some interest.