PDF; 6,67 MB - ORCO Germany

Companies need to bring products on the market faster and faster. The firm Time
Tool offers rapid prototyping, i.e. the speedy automatic production of 3D models.
The possibilities of this cost-efficient technology are almost limitless.
Until now artists have assumed, that the chief aim of their work
was to bring people joy and feed their cultural appetite. But for
many businesses in developed countries, they also play a decisive
role in the search for a profitable location – a fact that has probably
escaped most people who create culture. Now an American
economist has developed a bold theory that suggests artists are
the reason why companies tend to cluster in certain areas. Although
at first this sounds like a rather daring claim, on closer
inspection it makes perfect sense.
Richard Florida, Professor at the Carnegie mellon university in
Pittsburgh, has observed some changes in the highly industrialised
world over the last few years and come to the conclusion
that in today’s world, »work« and »capital« are not the primary
determinants behind commercial development, but rather that
»creativity« is the driving force behind economic growth. An increasing
percentage of the workforce is employed in creative professions
– in science, engineering, research, the arts or finance.
And it’s exactly this trend that Florida cites as evidence of the rise
of a »creative class«, a class he contends is not limited to just geniuses
and artists. According to Florida, creative people settle in
areas that are culturally attractive and open to new ideas. These
aspects enable their inventiveness to flourish – and form the basis
necessary for the successful development of new economic concepts.
This creative potential in turn attracts businesses aiming to
profit from it. So it’s no surprise that these locations experience
a boom in innovation and high technology, new jobs are created
and a dynamic develops that drives economic growth for both
companies and entire regions.
Taking his new economic theory a step furhter, Richard Florida
makes a second differentiation within the »creative class« between
the »highly-creative core« – people who produce new things,
like scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and artists – and another
group, those who have »creative occupations«. They don’t create
anything new but their line of work promotes independent
Courtesy of freedomofcreation.com
SPeCS develops and produces components and systems for the analysis for various
surfaces. This device tests the surfaces of materials using x-ray technology.
See more of this futuristic hightech items on page 48!
thought and creative problem-solving, such as lawyers, skilled
professionals and doctors. Florida’s theory leads undeniably to
the conclusion that these days good economic growth can only
be achieved by »creative communities« that are best equipped
to synthesise their prior knowledge for the production of new,
lucrative products and services. Here he identifies three essential
elements required for the transformation of culture and creativity
into engines of economic growth: technology, talent and tolerance.
Regions in which all three things are strongly represented
are cosmopolitan regions with a well-educated population and
forward-looking industries.
Berlin Heart develops, produces and markets innovative systems for the mechanical
support of the human heart. Above: exCOr® paediatric blood pump with 10
ml, 25 ml, 30 ml, 50 ml and 60 ml stroke volumes. High-tech for kids.
So far Florida’s theory has been applied in the uSA, Belgium, the
Netherlands and Finland. Whether or not this model is applicable
to Germany, or more specifically to Berlin, is currently being investigated
in an interdisciplinary study by ORCO Germany. The
odds aren’t bad. Nationwide, Berlin has the most creative people
and the highest percentage of researchers, engineers and artists.
And Berlin is a tolerant city.
Stylish temporary constructions for events, trade fairs and presentations developed
by Kubix. They provide mobile aesthetics and design for the Berlinal Film Festival,
Volkswagen and Sony ericsson (among others).
These high scores in talent and tolerance have also encouraged
developments in technology. more and more businesses from forward-looking
industries such as biotechnology are calling Berlin
home. Take for example the success story of scientist Christine
Lang and her company Organo Balance. With her 22-strong research
team, Lang developed a new strain of bacteria that fights
tooth decay. It’s the first of its kind. Chemical giant BASF will
manufacture a bacteria-containing toothpaste and plans to have
this revolutionary product on shelves by the end of the year.
Just as exciting are the leaps and bounds being made by Berlin’s
film and fashion industries. And many businesses are profiting
from this growth, such as markus Block’s kubix Berlin, which
assembles stylish temporary constructions for high-profile events.
The Berlinal Film Festival, Volkswagon and Sony ericsson are
heavy-weight players on the cultural scene thanks to companies
like kubix.
No less exceptional is the current boom being experienced by
mid-sized businesses. The relocation of the federal government
lured a multitude of service providers, media companies and business
subsidiaries to the capital, transforming Berlin into a forum
for international politics, public relations and global economic
relations. Growth in the solar energy industry has also been particularly
encouraging. Tremendous levels of investment and jobcreation
have made Berlin an international leader in photovoltaics.
A company called SOALRC has profited indirectly from this
economic upturn. Their »SoLait« solar-powered designer milk
frother has triggered a world-wide trend in solar-powered consumer
products.
Such positive indications suggest that the ORCO study will find
a »creative class« in Berlin in line with Florida’s theory. This
would confirm the already positive signs for Berlin’s economic
future. Thirty years after the fall of the wall, Berlin could soon
become an economic heavy-weight on par with renowned creative
centres like San Francisco and makes the win in economical
issues of the future.
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Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class (2002): according to
Richard Florida, members of the creative class hold approximately 30 % of
all jobs in the uSA. His definition includes not only journalists, designers
and artists, but also managers, doctors and lawyers. The creative class move
to regions that fulfil their need for creative employment and motivate
them towards greater innovation. As a rule, that means metropolitan areas
offering a diverse range of culture and art as well as open and interesting
people. The typical process of location selection has been turned on its
head: people are no longer moving to regions full of lucrative businesses
and employers. Instead, companies are increasingly settling in regions with
the highest concentration of potential employees. members of the creative
class determine a region’s economic growth. The decisive factors are technology,
talent and tolerance. Florida is the first person to name tolerance as
THe most essential factor in »TTT« (technology: innovation, inventions;
talent: the promotion of education and improving the educational system;
tolerance: the numbers of gays, bohemians and racist incidents in a city).
Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class (2002): Laut Richard Florida
machen die mitglieder der Creative Class in den uSA circa 30 Prozent
aller Arbeitsplätze aus. es handelt sich hierbei um Journalisten, Designer
und Künstler, aber auch um manager, Ärzte und Anwälte. Die Creative
Class zieht es in bestimmte Regionen, die ihre Bedürfnisse, kreativ tätig
zu werden, erfüllen und sie zu innovativem Handeln motivieren. In der
Regel handelt es sich hierbei um metropolen mit einem breit gefächerten
Angebot an Kultur, Kunst und offenen und interessierten menschen. Das
übliche muster der Standortwahl dreht sich also um: Die menschen ziehen
nicht mehr in die Regionen, in denen sich die lukrativen unternehmen
und Arbeitgeber befinden. Vielmehr siedeln sich die unternehmen vermehrt
in den Regionen an, wo die Dichte potenzieller Arbeitnehmer am
größten ist. Die mitglieder der Creative Class bestimmen das ökonomische
Wachstum einer Region. Dabei sind die Faktoren Technologie, Talent
und Toleranz einer Region entscheidend. Florida ist der erste, der bei dem
TTT-Potenzial (Technologie: Innovationen, erfindungen; Talent: hängt
von der schulischen Förderung und der Verbesserung des Schulsystems ab;
Toleranz: gemessen am Bohemian, Gay and Racism Index einer Stadt) die
Toleranz als DeN essenziellen Faktor hervorhebt.