In recent years, a subset of knowledge-intensive industries that are reliant on individual creativity and talent, known as creative industries, have received increasing attention. An important hallmark of these industries is the continuing innovation and development of products and processes, as often measured by the number of patents awarded. These knowledge-intensive production and service activities are almost exclusively city based, making urban places the central organizing unit of the creative economy (Florida 2002). Creative industries tend to cluster in large cities and regions that offer a variety of economic opportunities, a stimulating environment and amenities for different lifestyles. This paper, by Associate Professor Weiping Wu, focuses on the interactions of the clustering of creative industries, urban policy, and urban outcomes. The set of creative industries include those with output protectable under some form of intellectual property (IP) law. Drawn primarily from the U.S., the cities that form the basis for the empirical investigations are those where policy induced transitions have been most evident, including Boston; San Francisco; San Diego; Seattle; Austin; Washington DC; Dublin (Ireland); and Bangalore (India). The key research questions motivating the paper include: What types of cities are creative? What locational factors are essential? and What are the common urban policy initiatives used by creative cities? For more information, CLICK HERE To download the paper as a .pdf file,CLICK HERE