SPOTLIGHT INSIGHT
The Creative Economy: Life After the Pandemic Greg Wright, M.A. Executive Director, CREATE Portage County
Jason R. Davis, Ph.D. UWSP Professor of Economics
Regional economic development has traditionally focused on using tax incentives to attract businesses and create jobs while leveraging strong public schools and safe streets to attract workers. However, emerging models are shifting the focus of economic development away from this land-use model towards building a strong creative economy as the key to a vibrant community. While there are varying definitions of the term creative economy, most focus on expanding cultural and artistic opportunities as well as supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses. The pandemic made much of this visible. It reminded us of how much we value concerts, festivals, theatrical performances and other creative events as we spent much of the past year sitting at home. These assets do more than keep us entertained. They create a community with more innovation, a greater variety of local business, and cultural and artistic amenities that attract workers. Richard Florida has written extensively on this topic and has numerous articles showing that strong creative economies are tied to economic growth, innovation, and general satisfaction among residents. In his research, Florida defines the creative class “… to include people in science and engineering, architecture and design, education, arts, music and entertainment, whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology and/or new creative content” (The Rise of the Creative Class, 2003).
While the pandemic devastated much of the traditional creative economy, shuttering restaurants and performance spaces alike, it also emphasized how essential creativity is to
the health of thriving communities. Our ability to respond to the pandemic hinged on our capacity to find creative solutions. Teachers and students had to teach and learn virtually. Restaurants, grocers and retail stores expanded online ordering, delivery, and curbside take-out. Many businesses and workers shifted to working from home where possible, conducting meetings online with interrupting pets and children. We celebrated birthdays and other milestones virtually, with small outdoor gatherings, and with drive-by parties. We saw this locally at businesses like The Main Grain Bakery, which shifted to online ordering and bakery packages to accommodate safe delivery options, or at Guu’s on Main with their Guu-zeebos, which offered winter-protected dining for safe small groups. The Stevens Point Alliance won recognition for Notes at Night and their work with the City to shift ordinances to support outdoor food and beverage sales.
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Center for Business and Economic Insight
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