Visible Cities: The Role of Place Branding for a Sustainable Urban Development in European Cities at a Time of Crisis: A Case Study

Abstract: With the current establishment of place branding as city marketing’s branch (Kavaratzis, 2012) all the promotional activities that happen in a city are embodied in its activities. Those activities that are based on the city’s identity are to be taken under consideration (Hospers, 2010). However, creating the impression of a prosperous and attractive urban environment requires more than a targeted marketing campaign; city branding has to take under consideration the historical and cultural background, the social and the economic development, the landscape and the natural surroundings, the infrastructures and the architectural statements of the city and their possible interaction and combination to actually create a place with an enhanced monetary value, a saleable place (Zhang, 2009). Following a theoretical basis provided structured on a literature review, this is a case-study of middle-sized European cities, namely Zoetermeer (The Netherlands) and Uppsala (Sweden). The aim of the study is to investigate the role of the stakeholders in the branding policies in a European level. It also questions if European cities work towards a more sustainable urban environment and if place branding is a tool to achieve a greener development. The study finds that the stakeholders’ role is of vital importance for the cities’ planning strategies and that sustainability is an integrated in the branding policies. It finally suggests that place branding can be a tool for a sustainable urban development but more radical steps towards this direction have to be taken in the future.