Place branding stigmatised residential areas : A study of narratives in Swedish medium-sized municipalities.

Abstract: Stigma has for a long time been an issue in residential areas that have social and economic impediments, which has a detrimental impact on the local population. The thesis examines how institutions such as the police, municipalities and real-estate companies has shaped the area image through their selected initiatives. According to previous research, this is a gap that has not been filled yet; there are some. To gain insight into the challenges and efforts that exist, this study has been based on three perspectives of three actors, (1) the police, (2) the municipalities and (3) the real estate companies as these actors who are mainly the ones who influence the image of residential areas. Through semi-structured interviews and policy documents collected the material, which I in turn analysed through the concept of place branding. The concept of place branding has been used by municipalities and regions that have previously had a negative reputation. To change their image, actors have chosen to marketing places to attract investments, projects, and skilful people. The results based on this study show that some actors have put plans in place to market the brand that the residential areas have, and interesting initiatives taken. Similarly, there are indications that classification which leads to stigmatization of residential areas benefits certain actors.