At a Glance
Creative districts bring workplaces, culture, entertainment and community spaces together within the same neighbourhood. By supporting natural networking, entrepreneurship, flexible working and stronger community connections, areas such as Denver’s RiNo, Baltimore’s Station North and the Los Angeles Arts District are becoming attractive places for creative and knowledge-based professionals to live, work and build careers.
What are Creative Districts?
Until recently, choosing where to work was largely about finding the right organization and accepting wherever its office happened to be. Today, the location itself is the point of attraction for the new generation of professionals.
Areas once filled with warehouses, industrial zones and downtown streets are becoming creative districts filled with studio apartments, coworking spaces, galleries and modern offices.
A creative district is an area where arts, culture, business and community activity are close together. So designers, architects, entrepreneurs and other skilled workers looking for affordable and cheap studio apartments in Las Vegas are eyeing districts like Las Vegas’ Downtown as their new neighborhood.
Find out what makes these neighborhoods interesting to today’s professionals.
Offer Something Different From Traditional Office Districts
Consider two workplaces. One in a conventional office park surrounded by parking lots. The other is in a converted warehouse where murals, coffee shops, studios and independent stores are a lunchtime walk away. If you’re in a creative or knowledge-based industry, the second environment may be more appealing.
A real-life example of this is the Los Angeles Arts District. Once known primarily for its industrial warehouses, it has attracted entertainment and media businesses, including the Warner Music Group. This media company moved into the former Ford Motor Company assembly plant in the Arts District after transforming an industrial building into its Los Angeles headquarters.
Creative districts offer professionals modern places to work without the look and feel of a typical corporate jungle.
Work, Food, Culture and Entertainment Are Within Reach
Real living is what happens after your 9 to 5. And today’s professionals want it easier to combine work with their social lives.
So you can meet a client for coffee in the morning, work from an office or a shared space during the day and attend an art exhibition in the evening, all within the same neighborhood.
Living in a creative district is ideal for professionals who don’t want their working lives completely separated from the places where they socialize and spend their free time.
Networking is More Fluid
Hear “networking” and chances are you picture yourself and a hundred others in a conference room with name badges, being asked to network. It’s likely that nine out of ten may “suddenly” remember the urgent email they have to answer.
Instead of forcing networking to an event or situation, creative districts create opportunities for connections to happen more naturally. A freelance photographer might meet the owner of a marketing agency at a local event. Or an architect might stumble upon an artist whose work would be perfect for an upcoming development.
When people repeatedly cross paths, it becomes easier to develop professional relationships without every interaction starting with a business card.
A Space for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses to Thrive
The new crop of professionals isn’t made up entirely of employees working for large corporations. It’s also freelancers, independent consultants, artists, startup founders and small business owners who look for places to work, meet people and grow. Creative districts in Denver and Baltimore are living examples of this ecosystem.
RiNo in Denver has programs that support entrepreneurs and creative professionals, including grants, workshops and initiatives that pair artists with vacant retail spaces.
Baltimore’s Station North support through a different model. Its state Arts & Entertainment District designation offers state and local tax incentives for qualifying artists, entrepreneurs and developers.
Such support can help creative communities become places where people don’t just work for companies but also gain a launchpad to build something of their own.
Help People Feel A Part of a Community
Today’s crop of professionals prioritizes work flexibility, often choosing to work remotely. But remote workers often miss out on regular contact with others, something physical offices naturally provide.
Here, creative districts can offer a middle ground. They can be a hub of regular events, shared spaces and community organizations that offer opportunities for people to be a part of.
A remote employee can use a co-working space and attend neighborhood events. A small agency can collaborate with local photographers, designers and other specialists.
In reality, Station North works with artists, makers, designers, residents and businesses as part of its efforts to maintain and develop Baltimore’s creative community.
Help Cities Attract and Keep Talent
To attract and retain talent, companies need to think carefully about where today’s employees want to live and work. Placing employees in a city with lively neighborhoods, cultural attractions and interesting workplaces can offer more than a standalone office setup. This is especially relevant in industries where competition to attract talented designers, software developers, marketers, architects and other highly skilled professionals is high.
A good example of this in action is the Los Angeles Arts District. As the neighborhood changed, entertainment and technology businesses became increasingly interested in the area. Many consider Warner Music Company’s arrival as the turning point in the Arts District’s emergence as an attractive hub for creative companies.
In Summary
The emergence of creative districts shows that the place around a workplace can matter almost as much as the workplace itself. From Denver’s RiNo to Baltimore’s Station North to Los Angeles’ Arts District, these are examples of how former industrial setups can attract major companies and talent from modern creative industries.
Ultimately, it’s the combination of culture, work, community and interesting experiences, along with their careers, that makes these neighborhoods interesting to today’s generation of professionals.