April 28, 2023
Zoom meetings from a North Adams Airbnb, anyone?
Let’s talk about why cities need to start telling their story.
Just about three years after COVID descended upon us, it’s clear that the shifting landscape of remote work is not going away; in fact, it’s creating many more blurred lines. According to Bloomberg, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has declared a “permanent structural change” as business and leisure travel have become indistinguishable. Airbnb recently reported that long-term stays of more than 28 days were their fastest-growing category by trip length compared to 2019. What does this mean for cities across the US?
The Real Estate Take // Small cities across the country have the opportunity to attract unprecedented swaths of newcomers for a day, a month, or a lifetime. This could mean a tremendous transformation from a policy perspective. One idea by Lev Kushner and Greg Lindsay suggests that cities could merge their economic development and tourism offices into something customer- and resident-focused (like a Department of Hospitality or State Marketing Office).
The Creative Take // This is also a resounding alarm for small towns to share their unique, ownable story with the world, whether cultural, economical, biophilic, or otherwise. (Asbury Park, NJ and North Adams, MA do an incredible job of this.) When the options are endless, cities (or even neighborhoods!) with the strongest brand awareness and campaign will attract all of the laptop and weekend warriors.
Have you visited a town lately that tells their story in a particularly inspiring way? Feel free to hit respond — would love to hear your thoughts!
//
MUST-READS
How AI And IoT Are Transforming Urban Living // Forbes
How Collaboration Between Cities Can End the Climate Crisis // FastCompany
Why Wood Is the Breakout Architecture Star of the Early 21st Century // Bloomberg
How to Bring Nature Back to the Cities // SmartCitiesWorld
How Grenoble, France, Is Leading the Fight Against Climate Change // Architectural Digest
A Compact Home Office With Something Extra: It’s Also a Train // New York Times
There’s no such thing as being ‘too creative’ for business // FastCompany
//
IDEA SPOTLIGHT
EXP by Hines
The global real estate investor-developer has formed a global business unit designed to address the disruptive changes in the built environment called EXP by Hines. According to their recent press release, EXP represents Hines’ intention to explore and address the shifts underway in real estate, experiment with innovative solutions around flexibility, sustainability and other areas that add value for clients, and expedite ESG outcomes for a more sustainable, livable world.
//
