October 22, 2010:

Live Blog:

David’s presentation focused on challenge our thinking on how to proceed in the future as a creative city.

Benchmarking:

Rather than aspiring to be Austin, TX or Indianapolis, it should be renaissance Florence.  This was the city of Davinci.  All the ideas and creativity and innovation should be our aspiration.

A hot house for cities is one that allows ideas to nurture and grow.  David suggests that’s what we should work for in this city.  Batelle, universities, poets, dancers, artists, COSI, Wonderland, Sparkspace, Jeni’s ice cream, Surly Girl – we’re already creative!  Finding a way to mash them all together, that’s what will turn Columbus into the creative and innovation center.

Creative Proximity:

Miles Davis said he got ideas for phrasing by listening to Orson Wells and Frank Sinatra.  That’s how you get new ideas – by looking outside your domain.

Translators:

Those that are able to move back and forth between domains.  We have a lot of translators in this city.  Gathering together those translators will allow us to create this hot-house of innovation.   Bringing those people together in the same physical location.

When we talk innovation today, we tend to be talking about Technology.   Innovations CAN be actionable ideas.   We could innovate poverty or homelessness.

David suggestions calling the gathering place for this Universitas – a space for perpetual gathering.  Ideas, creativity and innovation require a physical location.   David’s vision for Universitas is a space that mashes the spaces together – the dancer’s stage sharing space with the chemists lab.

Universitas does not equal university.  It won’t include just academics.  It has to bring together people that are engaged in the world and lead a contemplative life as well.  Must bring in entrepreneurs, academics, community organizers.  Everyone is a student, everyone is a teacher in these places.

We have a chamber of commerce – what we need is the chamber of creativity.

When we embrace these ideas creativity and innovation we will become the benchmark city.  We will become the city that others aspire to emulate.