Four years ago on a business trip to Austin, Tex., the dean of a local business school told me that the state capitol had more Masters and PhD graduates waiting tables than any other city in the United States.

Young people went to Austin for post-secondary education, fell in love with the city, and wouldn’t leave, he said. Well-educated, creative, and entrepreneurial, they worked in restaurants and bars until they found their own niche in the workplace. Ultimately, they added more lustre to an already attractive community.

“Whether or not you like the word, cities like that create a ‘buzz’, an atmosphere that attracts people and keeps feeding off itself,” says Richard Florida, author of the best-selling book The Rise of the Creative Class.

“The mantra in Austin today, is ‘keep Austin weird’,” he adds. “It’s become the preferred destination for risk taking . . . a place for creative, interesting people.”

– Richard Florida, author of the best-selling book The Rise of the Creative Class

On Feb. 4, Florida will make two presentations in Calgary (another may be held in Edmonton this fall) painting a portrait of the values and lifestyles that he believes will propel communities in 21st century.

“Natural resources may have been able to power your growth in the past but they won’t anymore,” he says.

“Creativity is a source of economic wealth. That creativity comes from people, and in order to harness that, you have to attract the raw materials of the creative age. If not, they’ll move to Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago, Minnesota, or wherever they want to go.”

A respected academic, Florida has been barnstorming North America, fuelled by the critical and commercial success of his latest book, released six months ago.

His message has resonated with many business people, including Grant Doyle, chief creative executive at Calgary Renaissance Corp., the lead organizer of Florida’s visit.

One of the purposes of the event is to bring together like- minded people who talk about a sense of place and about how communities are developing.

“Florida doesn’t talk about old styles of economic development such as tax incentives or going out and getting companies to move here because it’s a better business climate,” says Doyle. “A lot of it is related around people issues.”

Doyle believes that Calgary provides a good quality of life, but he does wonder whether civic politicians have a plan or vision for the future. The Stampede City has progressed at a nice pace, its fortunes tied to the oil and gas industry. But, he asks, is it ready to move to the next level, to become the Creative Capital of Canada?

According to a study prepared for the province of Ontario, Florida explains that Calgary – Edmonton ranks closely in many categories – has the potential to “have buzz just like Toronto and Vancouver.”

In key competitive indicators such as post-secondary education, cultural diversity and artistic and creative employment, Calgary rates highly against Canadian and similar sized U.S. cities. (The study, Competing on Creativity in Ontario, can be reviewed at www.creativeclass.org).

“It’s not just about retaining people in Calgary,” says Florida. “It’s how does Calgary compete for people from across the world. Clearly people, in general, are choosing Canada as a preferred destination. I think that really is a message and to (get those people) you have to make your community a high quality, interesting place.”

How is this done?

Cities competing to attract talent have to be aware of what Florida calls the three Ts – technology, talent and tolerance.

As an example, he explains that Austin invested in technology, did a little industrial recruiting, supported entrepreneurship, and created an environment where people like Michael Dell (Dell Computer Corp.) wanted to start a business.

Austin went after talent “like all get out” and benefited from a creative pool pouring out of the University of Texas in Austin. (Michael Dell, himself, is an alumnus.) And Austin became tolerant.

“It became a place that was attractive to all kinds of strange people, not just technology people and entrepreneurs. It is an artistic, musical, creative place.”

Austin’s well-deserved reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World, its vibrant Sixth Street, and TV shows like Austin City Limits have put it on the map. That’s what people talk about, not the fact that it’s a high-tech mecca, says Florida.

Providence, Rhode Island, used the same principles to transform itself from a nothing town to a preferred city. Its mayor, Vincent “Buddy” Cianci Jr., recognized that Providence needed to change, says Florida.

“Cianci realized that he needed artists, and culture, and had to embrace the gay and lesbian community. He began to work quietly to make sure these groups had the support and funding they needed. And then he began to attract new immigrants.”

(As a sidebar, Cianci also used dubious practices during the revitalization program. He was accused of soliciting bribes in exchange for city jobs, contracts and tax breaks and last summer was convicted on racketeering charges.)

In Calgary next week, Florida says he won’t presume to offer specific advice about what Calgarians should do to enhance its appeal since this is his first visit to Alberta. Privately, he may make suggestions to people with influence.

He is impressed with the city’s reputation for entrepreneurism, its cleanliness, proximity to the mountains and its international exposure through such events as the Calgary Stampede.

In his presentations, he plans to talk about successful cities, share research, and kick ideas back and forth with his audience. He expects that he might even create a little buzz.