City Branding Evaluation as a Tool for Sustainable Urban Growth: A Framework and Lessons from the Yangtze River Delta Region

Tianren Yang, Minghai Ye, Pei Pei, Yongjiang Shi and Haozhi Pan
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Tianren Yang: College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Minghai Ye: School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Pei Pei: School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Yongjiang Shi: Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FS, UK
Haozhi Pan: School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 16, 1-11

Abstract: With the rising tide of globalization, urban branding campaigns have become the focal points of decision makers and planners aiming to establish city reputations and to achieve long-term urban prosperity. This paper, therefore, aims to develop a sustainability-oriented city branding framework that incorporates (1) comprehensive perceptions from various stakeholders through questionnaires and (2) empirical applications that evaluate the city-level potentials for a global mega-region in support of its sustainable growth. Seven major aspects, i.e., economic development, environment, potential, pulse, people, infrastructure, and governance, have been identified and assessed in the context of 26 prefecture cities in the Yangtze River Delta region. Moreover, a cluster analysis differentiated these cities into four groups with distinct characteristics and development paths. Through the framework and evaluation outputs, local planners, researchers, and decision-makers would be better placed to design and implement sustainable policy packages and incentives, with a quantitative insight into current strengths and weaknesses.

Keywords: city branding; urban sustainability; evaluation and planning; Yangtze River Delta region (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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