You're Not Paris and That's a Good Thing

Why Knowing Where You Are in the Place Life Cycle Could Save Your Reputation (and Your Budget)

Let's get one thing straight: cities don't die. They stumble, they sulk, they sometimes smell a bit odd—but they don't keel over. There's no such thing as urbanocide. Even when they're declared bankrupt, half-abandoned, or publicly shamed in the travel section of The Guardian, cities tend to bounce back with a vengeance. Like soap opera characters or bad fashion trends, they're never gone for good.

Take Detroit. Once the proud capital of motors, Motown and muscle, it went bankrupt in 2013 and was written off as a post-industrial ghost town. But the thing about Detroit—and about cities in general—is that just because the lights dim, doesn't mean the fire's out. Think volcanoes: some are erupting, some are just... waiting. Detroit is now on the up again, bubbling with new life, bike lanes, and third-wave coffee.

So, if cities don't die, what does change? Their reputation… and reputations are slippery creatures. Just like products, places go through a life cycle. First, there's the start-up stage: the "Wait, where's that?" phase. Think of the town nobody could find on a map—until some genius opened a tofu-scented spa or an artist colony set up shop in an old warehouse. Then comes the growth phase: suddenly, people know it for one thing. Maybe street art. Maybe oysters. Maybe it's that town with the upside-down house on Instagram.

If it's lucky, the place grows into a maturity phase. It becomes known for several things. People visit for the food, the music, the impressionist paintings, the vibe. It gets on a few "Best Places to Live If You Like Kombucha and Kayaking" lists. At the peak, the place becomes a brand in itself: everyone knows it. Enter the generic phase—aka, the "You have to go!" stage.

And that's when the trouble begins. Because at the top of the cycle, there's only one way left to go: down (see "the law of diminishing returns".). Some cities become so globally known that their very name becomes shorthand for an ideal. Think: Paris. Rome. New York. Sounds glamorous, right? Not always.

After conducting workshops in the US, Canada,Fiji or New Zealand, I often hear the same confession whispered like a guilty secret: "I was disappointed by Paris." The waiter was rude. The tables were small. The charm? Missing in action. But here's the thing: the problem isn't Paris. The problem is the fantasy of Paris, hyped up by films, influencers, and every romantic comedy ever made. The bigger the reputation, the greater the expectation gap. When a city is sold like a perfume ad—mysterious, effortless, seductively perfect—how can it compete with reality?
Meanwhile, cities that know they're not (yet) icons can market themselves with honesty, precision, and wit. When New York hit peak saturation, its tourism board pivoted: instead of pushing Times Square (again), they started promoting Queens to adventurous young Europeans. Because yes, tourism can be more than image management - it can be an urban development strategy. It can fuel regeneration, gentrification (for better or worse), and even collective pride.

But—and here's the kicker—you need to know where your city sits on the life cycle curve. At Place Generation, we often start by researching where a place sits in its life cycle — because that gives the first vital clue as to which direction your marketing should take. Before you shout your story to the world, you'd better know which chapter you're in.

Marketing a start-up city like it's a global icon just makes people raise their eyebrows (or Google "Is this place actually worth visiting?"). Marketing a globally famous city like it's still a scrappy underdog makes you look either delusional or deeply nostalgic. Neither helps. So, what's the lesson? Don't market what you wish you were. Market where you actually are.

If your city's emerging, focus on authenticity and values.
If it's rising, build narrative depth in one niche.
If it's maturing, diversify your appeal and become known in several passionate communities.
If it's peaking, manage expectations before disappointment takes the wheel.
And if it's declining—congratulations. You now have the freedom to reinvent.

No city is ever truly finished. They're always becoming, failing, rebranding, reimagining.
The trick is to keep the story honest—and to know what chapter you're in.

Remember: reputation is a cycle, not a crown. Wear it wisely. And know when to change the hat.

- FRANK CUYPERS

This is an article in a series about Place Identity. In previous ones we spoke about The Sea Of Sameness, Meatball Sundae, Visitor-Centric Narcisism and the Mousetrap Fallacy.Those who can't wait: in a few articles we will come up with solutions how to avoid all these classic traps.