Planning for the Creative Class

Tampa/Hillsborough County have economic roots in manufacturing and agriculture.  Like many U.S. cities, particularly those in the north, our area has seen a dramatic reduction in both sectors.  Replacing traditional manufacturing and agriculture has been service oriented employment.  Yet, our community was slow to adapt to the changing economy, and only in the past few years has identified the need to attract high paying service oriented jobs. 

Over the past quarter century, America has experienced important changes that have altered its social and economic landscape. Since 1979, the percentage of the employment in manufacturing has fallen by more than 50%. During this same period, growth in white-collar service oriented employment has consistently outpaced overall employment growth and now represents nearly 60% of all U.S. employment.

During the era of manufacturing dominance, planning for heavy industry and investment in basic infrastructure components such as railroads, highways, and ports was key to local economic success.  As the role of manufacturing in the U.S. economy has declined, cities are increasingly finding that solely focusing on the quality and availability of traditional infrastructure investments is inadequate in sustaining economic growth. The rise of a service-oriented economy has resulted in a greater emphasis on the quality and availability of workforce. U.S. and foreign companies are investing in communities with large pools of skilled, educated workers. Today’s thriving communities are those that can produce and attract talent. And talented workers have considerations beyond planes, trains, and automobiles.

Today’s workforce and their employers look at quality of life factors.  According to Richard Florida, in his book Rise of the Creative Class, access to alternative modes of transportation, variety of housing choices, active arts and culture, sports and recreation, local events, sense of place, and opportunities for socialization are among the list of requirements for choosing to live in a city. 

Changing Social and Family Dynamics

With many of the fastest growing employment sectors requiring an educated workforce, the number of Americans graduating from college has jumped dramatically. In 1980, just 16.2% of America’s workforce possessed a college diploma; today, this figure is 27%.

Higher education means many more Americans are taking on debt at an earlier age, to pay the cost of education.  Many graduate tens of thousands of dollars in debt not typically part of life even 20 years ago. 

Younger Americans tend to have different goals than a generation ago.  The majority of young people are putting career before family, choosing to have children later in life and less of them.  Americans under 35 are highly mobile and willing to relocate in order to meet their career goals.  When choosing to relocate, younger Americans are looking beyond just affordable housing and plentiful jobs, they are looking at places that will allow them to socialize and enjoy their free time.  They tend to desire places that allow them to expand their knowledge of the world and become part of the community. 

A New Direction

For years U.S. cities, including Tampa/Hillsborough County, have focused their economic development efforts on infrastructure investments such as airports, seaports, highways, and railroads; investments in the provision and moving of goods.  With much of the manufacturing sector requiring largely unskilled workers, the key to attracting businesses to the community was to provide a low-cost environment with reliable access to national markets. 

Our economy, however, has evolved.  The education level of workers is higher than ever. Workers tend to be more sophisticated and have different desires.  In order to be successful business not only needs basic infrastructure but also infrastructure to support their educated workers. 

Today’s workers desire a different lifestyle than a generation ago.  They tend to be more urban minded, seeking out communities with character, choices in mobility, and easy access to social interaction (restaurants, shops, galleries, museums, etc.).  These are people who have grown up in the suburbs and have realized there is more to life than driving home, parking the car in a garage, and entertaining themselves at home.  They want to get out, connect with neighbors and feel connected to their neighborhoods and cities.

With a changing economic landscape our infrastructure investments must evolve to meet new demographic and economic needs.  Our community will need to think outside the box to ensure our success in a service based economy.  Infrastructure investments must go beyond just meeting the needs of the businesses but also meet the desires of the workers.  Planning and investment can further these goals to ensure the Tampa Bay area can continue to attract a highly educated workforce.