Arts & Culture

In San Francisco, a welcoming climate for arts and artists doesn’t just make San Francisco a great place to live – it is driving entire industries that make us one of California’s most innovative economies. One of San Francisco’s preeminent economic development officials frequently talks about “how Burning Man saved San Francisco.” He isn’t joking. He is identifying a phenomenon first articulated in author Richard Florida seminal Rise of the Creative Class. When artists can live and work in a city, that city becomes more attractive to everyone. And that is particularly true in a city like San Francisco – with our wealth of creative industries. We see how our density of artists helps attract new jobs and revenue for our city. And that doesn’t even take into account that our number one economic generator is still tourism, which is also driven by our status as a cultural capital. So a climate that attracts, educates and can keep artists isn’t just crucial to keeping San Francisco a great place to live – it is a foundation of keeping San Francisco a place where we can find jobs.