University students and the 'creative city'

Abstract

In the last decade, city governments throughout the world have pursued various prescriptions for a 'creative city' with varying degrees of success. In Melbourne, strategies have included a revitalised arts policy, liberalisation of liquor laws, an increase in 'al fresco' dining and the encouragement of celebrity architects in the design and development of new buildings and precincts. Although Richard Florida's notion of a 'creative class' actually originated with university students at Carnegie Mellon, and in some ways centres on students, the role and place of students in Melbourne has not been taken into account in any substantive local policy initiatives or place-making strategies. Educat..