Smaller places are often in the shadow of global cities such as London, Paris and New York. Big cities have big marketing budgets, familiar names and iconic attractions. So how can small cities make themselves visible and attract global attention?
This is the theme of the book Small Cities with Big Dreams. Thanks to support from BUAS, this book is now available open access for all to read. The book focusses on the Dutch city of 's-Hertogenbosch, which in addition to being small, is also unpronouncable! How do you put yourself on the map even people can't even say your name?
In the book we tell the story of how Den Bosch (as the more accessible form of the name goes) managed this seemingly impossible feat by staging a major cultural programme based on the life and works of the Dutch medieval painted Hieronymus Bosch, who was born, lived and died in the city. The tale of how Den Bosch scoured the world to track down and borrow 17 of the surviving 25 Bosch paintings is laced with political intrigue, broken promises and local infighting. To find out how they pulled it off, you will need to read the book - available free to download here
