Quote:
Originally Posted by wburg
Creative scenes typically don't happen due to government subsidy--they happen when there is enough room for a creative scene to emerge. A school of fashion design might be nice, but it's hard to set out to break into such a field. Also note that this does not count as an industry--even in fashion centers like New York and Los Angeles, the real work of creating clothes doesn't happen there, it is done overseas and shipped here. So counting it as an industry is hard to justify...
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The point I was trying to make with the fashion industry example was not that the government should subsidize a school, but that Sacramento needs a stroke of luck to become home to a prestigious institution of some kind that would act as a catalyst to raise the status of a local industry. Fashion, for example, employs clothing designers, fabric designers, merchants, models, photographers, marketing professionals, and has a ripple effect to other professions as well. It's even possible that garments and shoes could be produced here, much like Italian fashion is produced in Italy. This is
just an example. It's highly unlikely that Sacramento will be the next Milan, but if the art college moves downtown like you suggest, and develops a well respected fashion design program, it would create the kind of "room" for that creative scene to emerge that you mentioned. I think the contributions of academic institutions to the economy are overlooked and underutilized in Sacramento.
The importance of an industrial economy should not be discredited either. There are only so many jobs available in creative professions. Many global cities DO have a strong industrial backbone, and revenue from exports. Without a healthy economy, momentum to grow the city will fade. Yes, there are higher-order things that need attention too, but I think that bolstering industrial production is a step that most cities have taken on their way to becoming global, and is still as relevant today as ever.