Why culture counts in the Great Reset

There are revered thinkers on how cities work and then there is Richard Florida, arguably the most persuasive of all the modern urban gurus.

Which is why it's refreshing to see his new book echoes many themes which ordinary people in areas like West Belfast have been championing for several decades — to the consternation of the powers-that-be who have favoured other, up-to-now, wholly unsuccessful regeneration strategies.

In his latest book, The Great Reset, Florida, looks at "how new ways of living and working drive post-crash prosperity". His conclusions should give heart to those trying to build the new Belfast because he says the feel and vibe of a city will dictate whether or not the world's most talented people want to locate there. The message for Belfast: hide behind the petticoats of 20th century sectarianism and fundamentalism on which the city was built and you are going nowhere. And talent likes culture. Yes, spending on arts has real benefits.

As Flordia puts it: "It is somewhat ironic that in this era of supposedly frictionless communication and highly mobile talent, the local cultural and social life still determines who gets the talent. Even though talent is mobile and can flow freely, the issue remains: where does it want to go?"

I have a star-gazing brother who had to move his young, obscenely talented multinational team of astrophysicists from Manchester to Belfast. All were happy to flit to Belfast because they had heard lots of positive things about the city. A sign of the times.