Introduction to Migration, Mobility and the Creative Class

Chapter 1 commences by introducing the book, outlining Richard Florida’s (2002) claims, and stressing the controversies surrounding his claims. Specifically, these relate to the internal migration dynamics of the countries in which the migrations take place, the time in history in which the migrations took place, and the evolution of the cities into which they locate. We emphasise that more things should be known, including the migration and occupation trajectories of creative workers over their lifetime, the connection between early life (from birth until university age) and subsequent migration and occupation decisions for creative workers, and whether there is any evidence that creative workers respond to local economic policies to attract them. After briefly outlining where we draw our evidence from, the chapter then proceeds to highlight the rigour, significance, and originality of the book and our eight contributions to the literature.