Each city has particular differentiating features making it unique and attractive. People often describe cities they like by using the word ‘cool’. Cambridge Dictionary offers the following definition for this word: “excellent in a way that people admire” (Meaning of COOL in English). Thus, the “cool cities” have some admiration factors for people. The ‘coolness’ of the city and its culture is a powerful instrument in advancing the city’s attractive features, infrastructure, and business. Current work is devoted to discussing the city’s attractiveness through culture and economy.
Culture is one of the most vital aspects of any city’s economic, social, and political existence. Zukin emphasizes that the culture is the powerful business instrument that improves the city’s status and attractiveness (12). The culture-related images appear on the streets and within the city’s infrastructure. Thus, the general understanding of attractiveness in business and economy is borrowed from the initial culture of the city (Kock 3). The culture and coolness of the town are interrelated. Businesses use culture as a profit instrument in attracting the audience (Tomarchio et al. 99). Modern cities have no market-free cultural artifacts (Stoller 16). Recently, globalization in culture has significantly affected the understanding of ‘cool’ cities. Today, the city without the peculiar features and cultural specificity cannot be considered attractive. There should be something catchy in cultural conceptualization on the city’s streets.
Therefore, the concept of attractiveness and coolness of the city is promoted by using the cultural specifics of a particular region. Business development and globalization cause the usage of culture in market aims. Therefore, the concept of coolness is related to life in contemporary cities in terms of business promotion. The economy of contemporary cities becomes directly dependent on the culture. By using the ‘coolness’ of the city, authorities and market-makers control the cultural and public resources creating a brand new system of values.
Works Cited
Kock, Florian. “What Makes a City Cool? Understanding Destination Coolness and Its Implications for Tourism.” Tourism Management, vol. 86, 2021, pp. 1-15.
“Meaning of COOL in English.” Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Online. Web.
Stoller, Paul. Money Has No Smell: The Africanization of New York City. The University of Chicago Press, 1994.
Tomarchio, Ludovica et al. “Cultural-Smart City: Establishing New Data-informed Practices to Plan Culture in Cities.” CAADRIA, vol. 2, 2020, pp. 81-90. Web.
Zukin, Sharon. The Cultures of Cities. Blackwell Publishing, 1995.