Issue 36: What Makes a City a Destination?
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week we continue our National Day reflections and consider the secret ingredient in great cities – Joseph Dana, Senior Editor
THE BIG TAKE
What Makes a City a Destination?
Around this time of year, the results are published from a slew of surveys about the best cities in the world. For the past decade, the UAE’s major cities have continued to punch above their weight. This year is no different, with Dubai being named the seventh most popular destination in the world by Euromonitor, while Abu Dhabi is among the top 15 cities to live and work in. The UAE’s success in these surveys is proof of a successful strategy to evolve the nation’s brand; after all, successful city brand rests on a powerful national brand.
The nation and the city: With the number of people moving to cities rising globally, there’s a popular narrative floating around that cities are slowly superseding nations in terms of brand identity. We isolate the city from the nation, the thinking goes. There are more city rankings these days than national rankings. But this interpretation misses the mark. While the rise of cities is undeniable, the power of national branding continues to serve the ultimate role in making cities into what they are. Without the nation, cities still don’t stand on their own two feet.
Brand identity: The relationship between the nation and the city is particularly evident in the UAE. The country might be synonymous with 7-star hotels and the Formula One championship but its brand is shifting to become a powerhouse for everything from culture to ecotourism. Through government investment in these sectors, the UAE has elevated the brands of their cities to the global level. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is one of many examples of this brand strategy at work. In Dubai, new attractions such as the Dubai Opera and the Hatta Dam ecotourism site are introducing visitors to new facets of the UAE experience. A resilient national brand is not fixed in stone and should constantly evolve and adapt.
Marking progress: We began with a simple question: What makes a city a destination? The answer just might be that a city’s appeal rests in large part in the nation that created it. The city is a representation of all that is good in the nation that supports it. The UAE’s cities continue to win praise and attention from the rest of the world due to a clear national investment and branding. Cities are unique thanks to the countries that create them.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The aim of science is not to open the door to infinite wisdom, but to set a limit to infinite error.”
Bertolt Brecht, playwright
OUR VIEWS THIS WEEK
AI is a public good: Given the power and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to change the planet for the better, shouldn’t governments have a greater role in safeguarding the technology? That’s the simple but complex question we investigated this week at Xische Reports. The development and use of AI technology are so important for society that it can’t be left to big tech giants alone. Moreover, the US government (and others like it) are missing a great opportunity to use AI for good across the public sector.
The beauty of paper: We spend so much time online that some of us are finding refuge in an unlikely place … the world of paper. That’s right, paper products are flying off the shelves, driven by a collective need to step back and shield our eyes from the screen. We investigated the rise of paper and what other developments might come from our need to reclaim some time in an increasingly connected and frantic world.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
The journey is the destination: Do you ever feel that a trip to the airport is a mini-adventure in itself? Given their size and amenities, airports are starting to feel like destinations. It’s certainly true for Dubai International, which is one of the world’s busiest airports by passenger volume. Singapore has taken the airport as destination brand to new levels with everything from indoor rainforests to world-class dining. That’s why the New York Times sent a writer to Singapore’s Changi Airport for a holiday. Get ready for truly bizarre holiday offers.
Failing to succeed: You’ve heard the saying that you have to fail to win. The phrase is the cornerstone of contemporary work culture and has taken on new meaning with the rise of Silicon Valley. The internet age has brought so many failed ideas in the quest to find the right one. A new scientific paper from Northwestern University researchers has determined that failure is actually “the essential prerequisite for success.” Don’t be so hard on yourself, science is on your side.