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So the New York Times confirms my guess…

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New York Times: A Los Angeles neighborhood where the creative class wiped out

It looks like I beat the New York Times by two days on this trend. The Times has a story today about the retreat of the creative class:

The deep recession, with its lost jobs and falling home values nationwide, poses another kind of threat: to the character of neighborhoods settled by the young creative class, from the Lower East Side in Manhattan to Beacon Hill in Seattle. The tide of gentrification that transformed economically depressed enclaves is receding, leaving some communities high and dry.

I wrote earlier this week about my fear that, when times get hard in cities, the creative class will be the first to go.

Let’s keep in mind, though, that the energy of the young and creative will always go somewhere. It is irrepressible. In the 1970s it took on a rebellious tone and went into place such as communes, or ghettoes such as Haight-Ashbury. During the decline of Rome it took on a more reclusive tone and went to abbeys and monasteries. We will soon start to learn what the creative class will do during this downturn. Will it be rebellious? Reclusive? Nerdy? Super-green? The response of the creative class will be a key factor in setting the tone of American culture for the coming era. If the response is constructive and creative, that could be a wonderful thing. If the response is angry and rebellious, watch out.

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