Residential preferences of the ‘creative class’?

The desire for ‘vibrant’, ‘bohemian’ neighbourhoods forms a focal point of the amenity preferences of Richard Florida’s ‘creative class’ thesis. Here, a vibrant street culture, which includes cafes and restaurants spilling onto the pavement, is implied as being of key importance in the selection of a residential area for creative and knowledge workers. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, this paper examines the residential preferences of the ‘creative class’ in Dublin, Ireland. The results illustrate the continued importance of classic factors in residential decision-making, including housing cost, accessibility and travel-time to place of employment. Moreover, the results also illustrate how changes in the life-cycle, including the decision to have a family, have a direct influence on residential location choice. While there is a tendency for younger workers to select the city centre, older workers predominantly opt to live in suburban areas with good transport connections to the city centre or their place of employment.

► We examine the residential preferences of the ‘creative class’ in Dublin.
► We critique the focus on ‘soft’ amenity-based factors within the ‘creative class’ thesis.
► We illustrate the continued importance of classic location factors.
► We highlight the importance of factors such as dwelling costs and proximity to place of employment.
► We also show the continued relevance of the life-cycle in residential choice.