During several public appearances in recent weeks, Anderson has said more diversity in Salt Lake City and Utah would improve economic development.

He repeated that idea in a Wednesday speech to more than 100 people at the Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

“Just as biologists recognize the importance of diversity to healthy ecosystems, so, too, is diversity important to the health of cities,” the mayor said.

Anderson told his listeners that a group of social scientists, led by Carnegie Mellon University's Richard Florida, have done studies that show diversity not only enriches lives but also is crucial for economic development.

In his work, according to Anderson, Florida says that a city's ability to be open to different ethnic, racial and lifestyle groups generates innovations and attracts high-tech industry.

The problem is, not everyone accepts that approach.

Salt Lake City Councilman Eric Jergensen, when asked later Wednesday about the thrust of Anderson's speech, said that under that scenario, diversity seems to be too narrowly defined as only including “creative” people.

He says the city already has a diversity policy - and officials have been working on the issue for about two years.

“Everyone has the same goals,” Jergensen said. “It's intuitive - the idea that you need to provide services to diverse groups in the community. But Florida says you need to promote certain groups of people over others.”

Linked to Anderson's approach to diversity has been his promotion during the past few weeks of “seven freedoms” for a healthier city and state. Those freedoms include being safe from gun violence and less restrictive laws on serving alcohol.

After Wednesday's speech, Anderson said he plans to hold his first town meeting on those freedoms with a seminar on gun safety from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the Salt Lake City Main Library auditorium. The mayor hopes state legislators also will come.

Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said he would be happy to attend, but is disappointed that his efforts to meet with the mayor about economic-development issues during the past many months have "been met with nothing but a cold shoulder.”

“I see our good mayor putting more weight into social engineering than any governmental endeavor,” he said. “These ideas are not what's going to bring economic development.”

mcronin@sltrib.com