Last year I read Richard Florida‘s The Rise of the Creative Class, an impressive study about how cities and economies grow when they offer rewarding cultural experiences and an open, free, and safe society for a new, creative class who work not for money, but for the meaning they derive from work (Imagine That!). Basically, the companies that will thrive are the information companies where people use their brains, a no-collar workplace where everyone’s friendly and working toward common goals. Google is a good example of the kind of company that springs up in these cities and then becomes monolithically successful.

This whole thing sounds pretty foreign for us in Detroit, but these cities do exist and are thriving. Cities like Raleigh, NC; Portland, OR; Washington, DC; and Minneapolis, MN–to name a few–offer safety, public transportation, culture, and a liberal attitude toward sex, race, and sexuality.

This October, The second Creative Cities Summit will take place in Detroit, a good sign for our city. Some of the most interesting thinkers on Urban re-growth will be in Detroit from October 13-15.

Perhaps these smart and optimistic people can come to Detroit, take a look around, and give us some advice about how to do some much-needed housecleaning and building.

Sure to be on the agenda is public transportation, and there was a spirited (for lack of a better word) convo on the topic yesterday at Webvomit.