The City Authentic: How the Attention Economy Builds Urban America

Keywords: attention, economic development, small cities, city authentic, social media, growth machine, urban studies
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Cities, like the people that live in them, are subject to the attention economy. Our desires and aspirations —once they are collected, collated, and sold to businesses, governments, and each other— reappear in shop windows, urban economic development plans, and interior design. This presentation is based on my forthcoming book (University of California Press) wherein I explore how cities in the Capital Region of New York participate in the attention economy. Like the City Beautiful and Rational City movements of the last century, the elites in charge of the City Authentic movement use the latest technology —social media and smartphones— to transform the way we experience cities, choose where to live, and who profits from it all.

The City Authentic is defined by a nostalgic approach to both building preservation and new construction that foregrounds authenticity and uniqueness over mass production and conformity. However, rather than herald a shift toward slowing down growth and bringing economic activity more in line with human needs, the City Authentic gives rise to a ravenous real estate market that mines the delicate patina of history for profit. The City Authentic renders neighborhoods and entire municipalities into brands consumable through not just purchasing or renting real estate but through the conspicuous sharing of artifacts and symbols on social media. This presentation will outline my critique of the City Authentic and list pro-labor policies and political strategies designed to create a more egalitarian and humble urban governance regime.