Why Almere?

As creative individuals are believed to be an important driving force of economic growth of cities, they have been an important topic of discussion for scholars. Although extensive literature research has focused on what attracts these creative individuals to places, these studies focus primarily on creative cities. However, practice shows us that creative individuals do not only move to creative cities and places that are considered attractive. They also locate in less attractive and creative cities, such as the Dutch New Town Almere. Although Almere is generally regarded as an unattractive city with a negative reputation, there appear to be creative individuals that seem attracted to the city by something. This is an important observation that needs to be further explored, as attracting creative individuals could benefit Almere’s cultural and economic position. This study examines the unique value of Almere for creative individuals. It begins by showing the theoretical concepts that discuss what attracts creative individuals to certain locations. Next, these concepts are tested for the case of Almere, through qualitative empirical research into the location perception and evaluation of creative individuals working in Almere. The study shows that the attractiveness of cities for creative individuals cannot easily be explained by external location factors, as expected from earlier studies, but is rather dependent on internal factors and transcendental values.