According to Philip Kotler, the mistake many city promoters make is to believe that selling the good image of a city means only promoting it. The error is found, in confusing marketing as an instrument of image elaboration, through the use of one of its functions, communication. However, this is one of the less important tasks when market orientation is applied in reality, it only helps potential stakeholders in the city (whether for tourism, residence or investment) to discover in advance the characteristics of it that they interest.
Those in charge of managing a city (mayor and his task force) must adopt a market orientation when developing urban regeneration processes in a context such as the current one, characterized by the phenomenon of globalization, the internationalization of relations between cities. Adopting a market orientation in city management represents designing the city to meet the needs of its inhabitants, therefore, it will be successful if its citizens and investors are satisfied with their communities, at the same time that they are served correctly. the expectations of tourists and investors.
Since its inception, the strategic plans of cities have been based on the enhancement of the tangible elements of the city, as basic elements on which it is possible to develop all kinds of human activities. However, in the last decade and in developed countries, the management of intangible elements begins to gain importance in the search for a better quality of life for its inhabitants. It can be said that any strategic planning process of a city must explicitly collect the tangible and intangible elements.
Management of the tangible elements of a city
Philip Kotler indicates that the main avenues of improvement that a city managers (command teams) can undertake to improve the standard of living and to attract tourism and investment go through the same four-stage process:
- The city requires a design that increases its attractiveness and develops in the most complete way its capabilities and aesthetic values. The city must develop and maintain a basic infrastructure that allows the mobility of people and goods, in a way that is compatible with the environment. The city must provide quality services that meet the needs of businesses and individuals. The city needs a number of attractions for residents themselves and for tourists.
Urban design
Architectural and urban design provides information on the character of a city and defines how it is transmitted from generation to generation, since it reflects the way in which values and decision-making are combined in matters that transcend the development of the city. same city.
In a high percentage, the country's cities have not enjoyed the privilege of having strategic plans led by professionals (interest groups) with the ability to envision what the future would bring. The growth of the city has been due to economic changes, the appearance of new technologies and external growth, not to a previously debated and accepted strategic planning. For that reason, the growth of the city produces multiple problems: increase in crime, deterioration of the historical center of the city, traffic problems and loss of employment, which cannot be unknown. It can be stated that on occasions, the search for creative solutions has also led to the generation of new difficulties.
The American expert Greene states that four basic principles should be kept in mind in the design of communities:
- Order: you must be certain that users can orient themselves in the environment and understand it Attractive: that the design is satisfactory to users over time Function: you want to indicate that the design works effectively in favor of convenience and comfort for all city users. Identity: that the city has a visual image that reflects unique and special characteristics.
This specialist expresses that these four principles are complete and descriptive so as to be able to use them in the valuation of urban design projects that are presented to a city.
Infrastructures
A city with good infrastructure does not necessarily guarantee success in growth, but its absence is a serious drawback. To maintain and conserve the quality of life of citizens and support economic productivity, a city requires well-maintained infrastructures.
A good endowment of infrastructures, requires in the first place the study of the needs of the city, in the short, medium and long term. Failure to do so may entail considerable economic losses for her, due to the reduction in economic activity.
Second, the control of infrastructures, which involves achieving an adaptation of investments to the existing needs of the city based on the available resources. In the same order, it is a matter of implementing a system of priorities when improving infrastructures, so as to improve the total performance of the urban system from an environmental and economic point of view.
A distinctive element, which is gaining much importance in recent decades, and which is closely related to urban design and infrastructures is the concept of "sustainable development", which refers to the study of the conditions in which development must occur. technological and economic of the city.
According to the future vision of the environment in the city of Santiago, the realization of a strategic plan should aim for the following elements:
- Control of air and water quality, as well as effective management of the waste policy. Cooperation between the actors involved in the search for the necessary mechanisms for the environmental reconversion of the industrial sector. Implement and control the current legislation. of degraded areas for urban uses. Establishment of service companies to industries specialized in the environment, with a good competitive position in the Dominican market.
Conquering environmental regeneration in the metropolitan area of Santiago can symbolize a critical factor in the renewal of the image of the city, allowing the city of Santiago to gain positions of primacy over the other cities of the Dominican Republic.
Basic services
A deficient supply of basic services, such as education, security, and health, presumes a significant disadvantage for the city, while some quality public services can be used as a competitive advantage, Corporación del Aqueducto y Alcantarillado de Santiago (CORAASAN). When a city has a reputation for high crime and low education rates, the chances of attracting commercial activity are greatly diminished. At present it happens that investors are attracted to places that offer quality services and where the education and training of citizens provides an added value of productivity and quality.
Attractive
The tourist attractions of the city are identified with the buildings, monuments and events (natural and cultural heritage) that arouse interest and appeal to citizens, potential residents, tourists and companies in general. Not all cities have the same possibilities when it comes to offering certain attractions. These circumstances indicate to the command teams of the city hall, that they should study their present situation and define their goals and strategies, to determine what could be the path to adopt when promoting their tourist attractions towards the different target audiences..
Image of the city
The city competes with each other to attract residents, tourists, and investors. In this competition, the image of the city takes on a special meaning. " A city without an image is, also for common sense, an incredible paradox since it is through the image that the city lives and finds people ", and it can be said that "it is the image that leads the traveler to choose one itinerary more than another, which leads business people to invest in Santiago, Santo Domingo or another city, and especially the most important, will have a consolidated image ”.
The image of the city must be built taking into consideration the chosen growth strategy, and must be communicated in a coherent way both to the residents themselves and outside the city. It must also meet the following requirements: credible, simple, attractive and distinctive, be valid and close to reality.
One of the main problems faced by the managers of a city is that they have a negative image, which may have been created due to the following problems: citizen insecurity, increased crime, negative news about the city, pollution due to lack of management and natural disasters that occurred during the last decade.
The managers of a city cannot be indifferent to its image and the implications that it carries. Citizens and those responsible for urban management "must feel satisfied with the image of the city." In another order, given that the image summarizes the most important of the city, it is the appropriate channel to promote it to the citizens themselves, attract visitors and attract business activities.
The image concentrates the vision of how the city is wanted, an aspect that can be considered important in the strategic planning process of this city, since the vision is used in the initial phases of the process and serves to indicate the sense and the direction to be followed by other strategic decisions. The vision indicates where you want to go, what you want to achieve with the city, it is the basic element that serves as a guide for the entire strategic planning process.
In the end, it can be said that you must have a clear vision of the long term of the city. Knowing that the vision sets the direction and serves as a reference for the rest of the strategic planning process. Also, it serves as a stimulus if it is able to give hope to all of society. In addition, flexible action plans should be designed, which allow adjustments to be made in the face of changing situations.
