Manifesto Written for Creative Class

Coletta and Company

"The Memphis Manifesto: Building a Community of Ideas" sets out principles that must exist for communities to prosper. "Ideas are the growth engines of tomorrow, so the nurturing of the communities where ideas can flourish is the key to success," the manifesto states. It was written by the Creative 100, chosen from nominations from across North America, and their Memphis hosts.

The 10 recommendations in the manifesto are:

• Cultivate and reward creativity creativity can happen at anytime, anywhere, and it's happening in your community right now...pay attention.

• Invest in the creative ecosystem (which) can include arts and culture, nightlife, the music scene, restaurants, artists and designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, affordable spaces, lively neighborhoods public spaces.

• Embrace diversity people of different backgrounds and experiences contribute a diversity of ideas, expressions, talents and perspectives that enrich communities. This is how ideas flourish and build vital communities.

• Nurture the creatives. Support the connectors. Collaborate to compete in a new way and get everyone in the game.

• Value risk-taking. Convert a "no" climate into a "yes" climate. Invest in opportunity-making, not just problem-solving. Tap into the creative talent, technology and energy for your community. Challenge conventional wisdom.

• Be authentic. Identify the value you add and focus on those assets where you can be unique. Dare to be different, not simply the look-alike of another community every community can be the right community.

• Invest in and build on quality of place. While inherited features such as climate, natural resources and population are important, other critical features such as arts and culture, open and green spaces, vibrant downtowns, and centers of learning can be built and strengthened.

• Remove barriers to creativity, such as intolerance, disconnectedness, sprawl, poverty, exclusivity, and social and environmental degradation.

• Take responsibility for change in your community. Improvise. Make things happen. Development is a "do it yourself" enterprise.

• Ensure that every person, especially children, has the right to creativity. The highest quality lifelong education is critical to developing and retaining creative individuals.

The Summit was hosted by Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, and Carol Coletta, host/producer of Smart City.

"The manifesto created at the Summit is the definitive call to action for the future of our cities," said Florida.

48 cities from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico were represented, said Coletta, organizer of the Summit. "What was most impressive was that they did not simply issue recommendations for communities, bu