What is the City Appeal?

Now that our scope has been narrowed from 2012-2062 to 2020-2030 i need to reassess what our future scenarios mean to this specific decade and Brisbane city site.

Firstly, to predict how our city will change in the future i need to understand what the current appeal of the city is...

• An appeal for individual expression within a collective environment (is this part of what drives consumerist behaviour)?
• If consumerist behaviour changes as our previous scenario predicted what will still appeal to individual expression?

I came across a lot of theories and TED talks that discuss the idea that its never really the product you want, you just want what it does - this reveals a potential increase in rental markets... rental clothing, rental tools, rental cars etc. Particularly when we extrapolate the changing notion of sharing (facebook, piratebay etc). Sharing has been completely redefined and ownership is becoming far less important.

I started looking at the idea of branding - something that i think will last whether you rent something or own it and what the social meaning of brands might mean to the future scenario.

I looked at the concepts of 'Lovemarks' - emotional attachment to a company.. loyalty beyond reason

I also looked at Bruce Philp's idea of 'Consumer Republic':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GZtYPLkhDY 

Key concepts:

• Brands hold a lot of power, but it is the consumers who give power by 'approving' the products.
• Political soul of consumerism - genisis in enlightenment
• Consumerism broke down the class system as you no longer had to be born into wealth to have nice things
• Capitalism has a habit of outsourcing conscience
• How do we give consumerism a conscience? 
• Buy less, buy better, be heard - understand the power the consumer has. 

So what happens to the CBD if consumerism changes to buy less, buy better (Philp's prediction)?

• If a company needed to convince you that its product was the best (assuming people bought less but spent more) the customer service & experience aspects of shopping would be far more important - rendering superstores, department stores etc disadvantaged... a customer would need to feel valued... lovemarks.
• Perhaps an advertising prohibition as an attempt to curb consumerism (no billboards etc).. how would retail shops adapt to survive.