The creative class in Singapore

Using Google News I found an article on Richard Florida in Singapore newspaper The Straits Times, titled “Making room for the three T’s”. It is very interesting, since it asks what this would mean for Singapore, a very conservative and “intolerant” city that from what I understand is actively trying to increase economic growth.

In Singapore, Zuraidah Ibrahim writes in the article, “nuclear families are the norm, making up 82 per cent of households. How much diversity can [the city] tolerate without unsettling those parents who want to raise their children in a culturally safe or even conservative environment?” According to the article, Florida says that Singapore has no choice but to make the “transition from an emphasis on conservative family values towards more tolerance for the creative class” or the creative class will leave.

The article compares Singapore to San Francisco, the top creative city according to Florida: Where San Francisco has a strong gay culture and ranks high on the bohemian index, in Singapore, “homosexual sex continues to be illegal”, and “artists complain that Singaporeans’ materialistic culture makes it hard for young people to choose alternative paths.”