Mapping Creative Spaces in Omaha, NE: Resident Perceptions versus Creative Firm Locations

Abstract

Abstract:In an era increasingly shaped by automation and globalization, industries that rely on creativity, innovation, and knowledge-generation are considered key drivers of economic growth in the U.S. and other advanced capitalist economies. This study examines the spatial distribution of creative firms and how they might align with perceptions of creativity in Omaha, Nebraska, a mid-sized U.S. urban area. Utilizing a survey, participant mapping exercise, and geospatial analyses, the primary goal was to identify formal and informal spaces of creative production and consumption, and determine to what extent the location of creative firms (both arts/mediaand science/technology-focused) may shape perceptions of creativity across the urban landscape. The results suggest that local area residents primarily view dense, vibrant, mixed-use, and often historic urban neighborhoods as particularly creative, whether or not there exists a dense concentration of creative firms. Similarly, creative firms were more spatially diffuse than the clusters of "creative locations" identified by residents, and were more frequently found in suburban locations. Furthermore, while there was no discernible difference among "creative" and "non-creative" workers, science/technology firms were more likely than arts/media firms to be found in suburban locations, and less likely to be associated with perceptions of creativity in Omaha.

Are walkable places tech incubators? Evidence from Nebraska’s ‘Silicon Prairie’

“…The author contends that this pushes creative or cultural workers to develop a large web of relatively weak professional ties, which, presumably, could be accomplished to greater effect in compact and diverse urban environments. In agreement with this theory, both Spencer (2015) and Bereitschaft (2018a) observed that creative/cultural firms were more likely to be found in dense urban environments, while science/technology firms exhibited a preference for the suburbs. Other studies have examined the clustering of 'creative' industry firms, noting in detail the role the built environment plays in facilitating interactions both within and across industries (Costa & Lopes, 2015;Durmaz, 2015;Rantisi & Leslie, 2010;Martins, 2015).…”

A Systematic Review into Factors Influencing Sketch Map Quality

“…The limit values for the criteria are data-driven, following the general recommendation (stated in [81]) of analysing at least five studies to identify the influence of the given factor (variable). When setting the limit value, possible values (5,7,10,15) were validated by statistical analysis (evaluation of data distribution) with the aim of high discrimination and reliability of the results. The limit value of five studies yielded the discrimination of about 30% (portion of factors meeting the requirement), while the other possible limit values considerably lowered the numbers of "proven" factors.…”

“…The aforementioned alternative perspectives, among others, allow different ways of collecting and evaluating data about mental maps. If we want to recall spatial information from memory, we can use various methods, such as sketching a map [7][8][9][10], modelling the Earth's surface [11] or interviewing [12][13][14][15] (see more in [2]). The sketch map method allows an individual's mental map to be understood more completely (in contrast to other methods), because it also allows for a metric evaluation of the quality of the spatial relations between objects [16].…”

A Semi-Structured Approach to Sketch Mapping and Qualitative GIS

“…Matei, Ball-Rokeach, and Qiu 2001;Curtis et al 2014Curtis et al , 2019, the concentration of "creative industry" (e.g. Bereitschaft 2018;Brennan-Horley and Gibson 2009;Brennan-Horley et al 2010), access to jobs (e.g. Boschmann 2011), residents' physical activity (e.g.…”