Tolerance, aesthetics, amenities or jobs? Dutch city attraction to the creative class

Abstract

Richard Florida stated that it is not (only) job opportunities or urban amenities which attract creative high-educated people to cities but, rather, tolerance and aesthetics. We have tested this hypothesis in a cross section of Dutch cities. Our conclusion is that the tolerance/creative class nexus empirically fails to materialize for the Netherlands. However, the aesthetic assets of cities do provide a strong explanation for both share and growth of the creative class in Dutch cities. Beside that, job opportunities and urban amenities are still the most important factors influencing the choice for a place of residence.