Creative Capital and Urban-Regional Economic Growth in the Iranian Provinces

In recent decades, we have witnessed an intellectual revolution in urban and regional planning research (especially economic geography) as well as the role of creative capital in the urban-regional economic growth has been addressed. This study aims to examine the role of creative capital in Iranian urban-regional economy through using Richard Florida's (theory on) creative capital. According to the theoretical literature, results showed that Iranian creative capital would act as an engine of urban-regional growth, especially urban-regional economic growth, and has high explanatory power in explaining the growth of urban-regional economies. It was also found that factors such as talent, diversity and tolerance, technology, per capita income and local facilities together play an important role in the locational choices of creative capital and where they live and work. Finally, the map of the geography of creativity in Iran was drawn from the findings. Drawing up a map of the geography of creativity in the provinces of Iran largely illustrates the future economic growth pattern and shows which provinces can succeed in increasing competition of cities and regions in the cultivation, conservation, and absorption of creative capital. According to theoretical literature in the context of Iran, it can be concluded that in the creative age ideas and intellectual capital are replaced by natural resources, and human creativity will be the ultimate source of economic growth. As creative capital becomes an unlimited resource as well as the main driver of economic growth, the growing competition of cities, regions, and countries is increasingly dependent on the maintenance and absorption of creative capital.