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J Cult Econ (2008) 32:155157
DOI 10.1007/s10824-008-9061-3
BOOK REVIEW
Published online: 27 February 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2008
This book is about how one urban conurbation, New York City (NYC), works and how creativity occurs within it. As a result it sets out to provide an understanding of how creativity in fashion, art and music originates, why it happens and where it takes place. Consequently, much of the book is devoted to understanding how contemporary cultural industries and workers interact with one another, the city and different industries. To do this there is a discussion of the economic and cultural history of NYC covered in two chapters followed by an explanation of social networking, the social life of creativity, social production systems, space and gatekeepers. The nal chapter makes a number of observations for policy makers. There are extensive endnotes, bibliography and index, with supporting data largely drawn from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics.
In part the book is an argument for the importance of the arts and cultural economic activities and a fuller recognition of their contribution particularly to the global status of cities. It is in many ways an historical economic impact analysis and the rst part of the book could be characterised as such. The second half, however, takes us deeper into the social dynamics of creativity in a city with interesting insights into the importance of nightlife to musicians, gallery openings for artists and parties for fashion designers; even casual encounters in the street matter if it is the right physical area or scene. What matters is not so much the...