Why Do I Love Big Cities?

From Chicago to Dubai, and everywhere in between

It all began in 1999. I was a teenager when I first set foot in Chicago, visiting with my American friend Chris and his family. That trip marked the beginning of something for me, a fascination, a spark, a deep love for large, metropolitan cities.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Chicago wasn’t just the first major city I visited, it was the place that opened my eyes to the scale, the rhythm, and the pulse of urban life. And it left its mark.

Passing it on

Earlier this year, in April, I returned to Chicago. But this time, I brought my youngest son with me. My hope? That he, too, might catch a glimpse of what I saw in cities like this. That he might discover a sense of awe. And maybe, just maybe, develop his own love for places that never sleep, always move, and constantly evolve.

Overlooking Chicago and Lake Michigan from Willis Tower earlier this year

From local wonder to global passion

Since that first Chicago trip, I’ve let my love for cities take me around the world.

In the U.S., I’ve returned to Chicago many times, and added Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, Houston, Seattle, Washington D.C. and New York to the list.

But I didn’t stop there. I went global.

Evening view from the Dubai International Financial Centre

From Shanghai and Beijing, to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Dubai, New Delhi, Vancouver, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Stockholm and yes of course Vienna. Each one has left a different impression. Each one added new dimensions to my understanding of what makes a city special.

So what is it I love?

Not long ago, I had the chance to revisit Dubai. And walking its streets again, I started reflecting.

Dubai by night, Museum of the Future

It’s not just the atmosphere, the buzz, or the architectural marvels and the engineering achievements, although yes, I love them. I’ll always take the opportunity to go up a tall building, to see the city from above. But there’s more. Much more.

To me, cities represent opportunity. They are a canvas for development, a space where ambition and diversity collide. In big cities, people from all walks of life come together. They live side by side. They work, build and invent together.

That friction, that proximity, it breeds new ideas. New businesses. New stories.

A mosaic of growth

Life in a major city is colorful in the truest sense of the word. It’s flavored with spices from across the globe. It’s shaped by languages you may not understand but can still feel. It’s enriched by difference and by the curiosity that comes with it.

Downtown Dubai

Yes, there is chaos. Yes, there can be despair. But above all, there is possibility.

In cities, I feel alive. And in every trip, every conversation, every glimpse of a skyline I learn something new.

Cities remind me of something I hold dear in my leadership practice: Observe. Learn as you go. Adapt. These principles, shaped in part by experiences across the world, continue to guide me, as a leader and as a person.

Your turn

What’s a city that has left a mark on you? And what did it teach you?