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Hub Culture's Interests
General
Hub Culture, is a place for the worlds urban progressives. If you are global, cutting edge and connected, this is the place where you can meet and interact with similar people who think and live like you.
We create private experiences around the world and are building special opportunities and benefits for the network from our members and world leading brands. You can also find hub culture in Second Life, on google video, youtube, Facebook, and other places.
Ask for add here, or check out the site and register if you share the same perspective!
Music
Television
Books
Here's an excerpt from the book Hub Culture: (Chapter 14)
Ethical morality and absolute environmental protection are the watermarks for business survival, not just success, in the near present. Today, in the absolute present, success with the hubs is best found through service, and thus, giving experience to the consumer. Through experience, they
glimpse the spiritual development of a brand, because experience and service are functions of the people in the organization, not the material product.
Since only other humans can identify that need for a connection to the spiritual, only they can speak for the brand as it tries to convince the consumer it too, is spiritual.
As more people in hub culture seek enlightenment, the more they will become disenchanted with materialism. People will simply stop buying for the reasons that we try to sell to them now. If they stop buying, then the brand dies, and so with it the company. Branding must evolve with the people.
More people, led by those in hub culture, are evolving, or at least trying to, toward something beyond materialism. If they find spiritual understanding, and the brands move with them, then all can be good.
If not, then we will all have to deal with the consequences of a growing subversive backlash that is out there: now it is pockets of aggression separated by passive
ambivalence, but it could be followed by a combined war of destruction against the very idea of brands and the people who blithely consume them.
It will be fought by those who have woken to the branding charade, but missed finding a spiritual connection to drive them forward; a group that realize not that they don?t care, but that they have no hope. Fair warning?
Hub Culture is a partner in Luxury Island, now available in Second Life:
Who I'd like to meet: Hub Culture's annual Zeitgeist Ranking is based on the idea that at certain times in certain places, there is a veritable "center of the universe", a place where innovation, change and vibe combine to create the place of the moment. A historical analysis looked at this idea from 1973 to the present, and the 2007 ranking drew both acclaim and derision. Drawn from conversations around the world with Hub Culture members along with other arbitrary and non-scientific influences, the list seeks to measure the moment. The 2008 list reflects a growing tilt toward the East - namely Tokyo, Moscow, Beijing and Hong Kong, which is not to say other cities are less hot, just that these places are hotter than ever, especially given the economic uncertainty rattling the West:
1. Los Angeles 2007 Rank: 1
Strikes. Fires. Reality fatigue. Economic Disaster. The indicators for LA's hold on the No. 1 spot argue for a dip in the city's zeitgeist fortunes, but the fact remains that Los Angeles remains the most important driver of the current moment, if only by a whisker. In some ways, the doom and gloom LA has experienced recently has presaged the general red alerts now being felt elsewhere - from environmental crisis to economic lapse, LA seems to have arrived in the shits just before everyone else.
2. Berlin 2007 Rank: 2
Berlin remains strong. Culturally, the city gathers strength, and over the past year has only done more to solidify its position as leader of the global underground while economically holding steady . As the cutting edge vibe in London wanes, Berlin continues to draw the young and the restless, and its ties to a resurgent East (i.e. Moscow, Warsaw) are really showing dividends.
3. Mumbai 2007 Rank: 3
Even as Mumbai gridlock threatens to become a 24/7 state of affairs, India in general and Mumbai in particular continue their assault on the global consciousness. It's hard to argue against Mumbai, especially with so many new innovations popping up here. That includes the arrival of the TATA Nano, which will soon change the economics of transport across the developing world. Add in booming hotels, real estate and a stronger rupee, and Mumbai holds the course.
4. Beijing 2007 Rank: 7
2008 is Beijing's year, and not just because of the Olympics. The financial meltdown occurring in other capitals has cast Beijing in a new light as the Chinese continue to show fiscal reserve while strengthening their own position. A new confidence, dare we say 'smug factor' permeates the city, and this summer's coming out party has already paid dividends. With 11.5% growth, much of the action is in Beijing, and its underground culture is blooming with so many new arrivals.
5. Tokyo 2007 Rank: 14
Tokyo is steaming! A combination of low prices, an awakening in the real estate sector, smart yen plays and new innovation in the music scene have breathed new life into Asia's sleeping Godzilla. Tokyo remains relentlessly foreign, but has become easier to handle, a magnet for those seeking relief from the doldrums in other markets. Add in the bailouts and partnerships with Western financial firms, and suddenly even Tokyo's waning financial sector looks hot.
6. London 2007 Rank: 5
Overpriced by any measure and past the crest in nightlife, London seems to have dulled in line with the smaller bonuses being handed out in the City. New tax penalties for foreigners and la general sense of foreboding may have stalled the party for late arrival Amy Sacco, but there is no doubt that London remains the place to be for international finance and media, driving a cultural life that leaves a wistful sigh on the face of many New Yorkers.
7. Buenos Aires 2007 Rank: 6
So its looking a little tattered - Buenos Aires is still booming thanks to earlier structural adjustments. The new Puerto Madera district is taking shape as an international golden standard, and rises in commodity prices (especially food) are lifting all boats. BA has problems, but Argentina's cheap prices are attracting legions of globalized people, especially financial types looking to make investments in everything from wine to hotels. BA remains the place to be in booming South America.
8. Dubai 2007 Rank: 8
People are flocking to Dubai, and the little Emirate that could continues to can. Global investment capability and a city awash in cash and construction make Dubai one of the world's few economic bright spots in 2008. Dubai may be crass and the culture may be in need of some urgent refinement, but its hotter than ever. If you can't handle the heat, just wait until Hydropolis, (the world's first underwater hotel) opens next year.
9. New York City 2007 Rank: 9
A spate of new hotels and relatively stable real estate testify to one fact: the foreigners are holding up New York. While not great for the locals, that makes for a wonderful hub moment in the city: a bargain for visitors and a place more remarkably open and international than it has been for a long time. A sense of ease amid turmoil seems to have taken root in New York, partly because it is the most globally outward looking city in the US - leaving it well positioned to weather the coming year.
10. Hong Kong 2007 Rank: 18
Hong Kong is like a see-saw, swaying between its connections to NY-LON and China, depending on which one it needs more at any given moment. That's an advantage as the city continues to balance booming growth with ever tighter global integration. The scene remains predictable, but predictably fun, and Hong Kong's leadership in fashion and Asian pop culture is steady - even if everyone is increasingly obsessed with Korean daytime TV. New entertainment areas and a redevelopment of the harbourfront bode well.
11. Istanbul 2007 Rank: 4
Istanbul has dropped from last year - not because it is any less hot, just because other locations are now taking up more mind space. As the Islam threat feels like its cooling Istanbul continues to set the leadership example for the region while integrating ever closer to Europe. Its fun, it sizzles, its still here.
12. San Francisco 2007 Rank: 13
San Francisco continues to punch above its population weight, mostly because it continues to reinvent itself. From the technology space it is now leading the global green charge, spearheading investments and opportunity in the sector. Culturally, SF seems to be preparing for higher consciousness, as talk of shifts and awareness dominate conversations. Add in nearby Facebook, and SF is on the rise - yet hampered by that pesky dollar.
13. São Paolo 2007 Rank: New
This city is on roll: Brazil's macro success is manifesting in booming design, nightlife, and real estate in South America's largest city with a young, increasingly educated, party population. Sao Paolo is benefiting from energy - biofuels and petrodollars are loose, watering weeds as diverse as cabaret and condos. But crime and inequality continue to weigh on the city, which suffers from greater inequalities than neighboring BA.
14. Shanghai 2007 Rank: 11
Shanghai continues to gather strength and remains a magnet for young people looking to make it in the global economy. The city has recently blossomed and is now genuinely a fun place to live, filled with interesting people, a cosmo scene and true cultural innovation. Downsides include the air - nasty; and a temporary shadow as Beijing steals the spotlight this year. Overall, still happening.
15. Moscow 2007 Rank: 18
Putin was named TIME's Man of the Year for a reason: Moscow continues to grow its sphere of global influence, and instead of saber rattling the new vogue is suitcase rattling: as in suitcases of cash. The luxury sector here remains strong, and a unique air of sophistication continues to develop. New nightlife investments and a period of relative stability are drawing more attention than ever, but Moscow remains the ultimate insider city.
16. Madrid 2007 Rank: new
Sunny Madrid is benefiting from stability and language. As South America continues to do well, Madrid benefits back in Europe, and a continuing influx of Northern Europeans adds to the cultural mix. Add in some of the best nightlfe in Europe, a hot art scene and lower living prices than other regional hubs, and Madrid looks ever more enticing.
17. Singapore 2007 Rank: new
Singapore may appear boring, but it certainly packs some punch. Whether stepping up to the financial plate globally or announcing another outlandish designer building project, the tiny city state continues innovation at the macro level, providing economic security and iced whipped chai for its people in an ever more turbulent world. Not a bad place to hide when things get rough.
18. Sydney 2007 Rank: 16
Sydney is the terrycloth towel of urban hubs - rich, beautiful and soft enough to feel comfortable. In a land aloft in buoyant commodity prices and closer ties with the economic engines of Asia, some would argue Sydney never had it so good. Sagging real estate and a diminishing world role argue otherwise, but its still hard to imagine anyone there is really that worried. Sydney charts its own course.
19. Mexico D.F. 2007 Rank: 20
The worlds largest city remains a study in contrasts, but times are so good that Mexican immigrants are even returning from California to seek opportunity in Mexico City. The city elite are still preoccupied with gringonomics to the north, but local growth and development auger well. Add in the city's super young vibe, and one gets the feeling anything is possible. One step forward.
20. Vancouver 2007 Rank: new
Vancouver gets this year's wild card, in the spirit of No. 10 Geneva last year. A combination of factors are benefiting this coastal hub, ranging from preparations for the 2010 Winter Games in nearby Whistler to an avalanche of business in the film industry on the heels of LA woes. Clean and pristine, Vancouver sums up the new environmental feel, and that strong Canadian dollar has Vancouver strutting its stuff in a newly confident way, from Seattle all the way to Shanghai.
Slipping under: Seattle (US blahs), Rome (no buzz), Seoul (just barely) and Geneva (authenticity eclipsed by economy)
Bubbling up: Sao Paolo, Singapore, Vancouver, Madrid
