Urban Area: Tourist, Local, or Both?

By Christina Cigir and Gabriella Varshavsky
They ask, “which way to Times Square?” They say, “take a picture of me in front of the Willis Tower!” Tourists are everywhere in New York City, and they play a major role in urbanism. The average local in a city like NYC or Los Angeles often describe tourists as the people with expressions ranging from excitement about being in the Big Apple, to bewilderment over the sheer size of the city; either way, these tourists always have a Nikon cameras glued to their faces. However, there is more than meets the “lens” for a tourist, as various vacation cities become home for them.
For many tourists, the idea of the perfect city ranges: the ideal city can be built on the diversity of the various people, or even the breathtaking skyscrapers reflecting the sun and other buildings; everyone has their own definition of what the city means to them. 16-year-old Spaniard Patricia De Leon, from Madrid, spoke from both ends of the table, as both a Madrid local and a tourist, and was surprised by the difference in demeanor between NYC and her home city, because of “how friendly Madrid is… it is open to everyone”. When asked about her role as a tourist in NYC, she said that “the city life is pretty much the same, including the way that people act because everyone is always taking pictures, but Madrid functions a little slower than NY would”. Being a tourist and observing a tourist has its similarities according to De Leon, but what take does this have on the concept of urbanism? Chicago local Claudia Osterhuber claimed that “Everyone is so surprised by how beautiful the Chicago architecture is, and how friendly the people are.” As a former tourist, Osterhurber moved to Chicago 25 years ago and now considers herself a native to the city. She continued, “Chicago feels as if has always been home to me. I can now say that I understand the process from being a tourist, to evolving into a ‘local’. Chicago is truly an amazing city, and it’s completely unpredictable.” Her viewpoint on urbanism is linked to the types of people and the city’s architecture, but for 17-year-old, Eray Oglu, Istanbul local and Boston tourist, the meaning of urbanism contradicted that of Claudia’s. “I think of a city that it a little more traditional. You know, one with more culture. In Istanbul there are tourists everywhere and they are surprised by the amount of history we have. Boston was so different from what I expected.” Oglu’s viewpoint suggests that there is a clear distinction between urbanism through the eyes of a tourist and of a local, but how does this lead to understanding what true urbanism is?

“Urban” refers to a city or metropolitan area, so Urban Insight is taking a deeper glance into the city. In this, it’s been realized that every tourist and local has their own perception on what true city life is. Tourism highlights a city’s significance as they attract attention to a particular location, like Times Square or Millennium Park, but little do most know that the people compensate the fame just as much as the notable landmarks. Cities appeal to many for their unique atmosphere, which the locals and tourists are happy to be immersed in. Alexander Kozlov, a 17-year-old from Russia spoke on the behalf of tourism in his city, Siberia, stating that , “There are some tourists in Siberia, and you can notice who is a local and who isn’t. They just look different and act different from us.” Aiding to his comment, Mike Sokolov, a 16-year-old, refused to name his city, but he openly said that, “My city is a lot smaller and you never see tourists. It is not as crazy as any other city, but for me it’s everything.” Both boys took pride in their home-towns, but the former also explained that tourism is rare since his city does not comply to what the standard of urbanism is. “Most people think that big buildings are what it is in a city. As someone who lives in Siberia, I probably think about it differently than the tourists there”, Alexander added. Again, the differentiation between urban minds is established. When asked about his view on being a tourist in NYC in comparison to being a local in Russia, Mike explained, “I guess that as a tourist I think of cities differently than from my own city. I would always think of New York City because everyone knows it and I am from somewhere smaller. We for sure do not get tourists like in NY.” Even though Mike’s city is not as prominent as NY, he emphasized the importance of his home. “We don’t need tourists to make my city a city because everything we have makes it what it is. It is normal for us. Our mentality is for sure different from New York; we are more connected to our European culture.” Whether a city hosts five tourists a year or 500,000, their insight supports the significant of urbanism.

Tourism expands beyond visiting a city; it is the key to urban life in that it links various mentalities, expectations, and perspectives of an urban area. Tourism is inclining in cities such as: NY, Chicago, and even Moscow, but it may cease to grow in such as that of Mike Sokolov. Every tourist is also a local of another city, and the differences between the two bring urbanism to life, more than it already is.