Alphachimp Studio > Pop!Tech > Global Creativity > Richard Florida

From Fast Company:

This is just one of several eye-opening insights from Florida, 43, a pioneering cartographer of talent. Using focus groups, interviews, and an eclectic array of demographic data, Florida is plotting the sociological factors that enable cities to attract human capital. Chief among his findings: In an insecure, temporary, free-agent-dominated world, the crusaders of the new economy increasingly take their professional identities from where they live, rather than from where they work. "Not so long ago you'd meet a guy on a plane, ask him what he does, and he'd tell you that he's a software programmer at Trilogy," says Florida. "Now it's, 'I write code and live in Austin.' "

In the battle for talent, Florida argues that location is supplanting the corporation. "We've shifted from a company-centric economy to a people-driven one," he says. "People are turning to community rather than to corporations to define themselves." When smart, skilled job candidates visit a company, they don't just take in the work space and the culture. Increasingly, they check out the surrounding streets, the parks, and the night spots. They look for audial and visual cues, such as active outdoor recreation, a thriving music scene, lots of amenities, and high energy, which signal that this is a place where they can live as well as work.

Listen to a podcast of the presentation.