Rethinking Hamilton, creatively - How to develop a strategy to transform a city from a cowtown to a wowtown

Abstract

Hamilton, New Zealand's 4th largest city, has a long-held reputation for being a cultural desert or "cowtown". That is all rapidly changing as a new strategy developed with the help of local thought-leaders marks an attitudinal change to a city that is vibrant, creative and energetic. However, having developed a new visionary Culture and Identity Strategy, the creative sector's expectations were not being realised so the sector itself imaginatively reengaged the city to deliver, creatively.