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The purpose of this paper is to examine how skateboarding as a community, sport and cultural phenomenon can become integrated into and drive the development, branding and marketing of a city (Malmö).

This paper is produced through a communicative co-constructed process of one scholar and one practitioner within the skateboarding field. Through the narrative told by the practitioner, and with basis in the established understanding and conceptualization of place marketing through sport, success factors of the skateboarding initiatives in Malmö are identified.

The skateboarding story of Malmö fits well into the established conceptualization of place branding and marketing, neoliberalism and urban entrepreneurialism. Also, it demonstrates the power of a unique user-driven partnerships between skaters, a non-profit organization and public institutions to create a skateboard-friendly city and as a consequence a strong internationally renowned skate-image. The multi-level, multi-content approach is founded in shared values and mutual benefits. Instead of fitting a phenomenon into an outward-oriented image-strategy, skateboarding as a sport and culture has been allowed to develop organically, creating a credible and unique image for Malmö.

This study adds to the literature on sport and city marketing/branding by developing a deeper, empirically founded, understanding of how to combine top-down and bottom-up approaches in urban development, marketing and branding. The results have scientific as well as practical value.

Although both sports and cities have transformed over the last century, research on the intersection of sports and urban development remains scarce. This special issue was designed to advance a research agenda in relation to sports and urban development. The sports and urban development special issue of International Journal of Sport Marketing and Sponsorship brings together a collection of conceptual, empirical and commentary papers from four continents. Themes explored in this special issue include legacy, governance, image, climate change and sustainability. We encourage collaborative approaches between sport researchers and those with a focus on urban development, urban design and urban governance. Understanding the role of sports in the development of smart cities is an excellent opportunity for these collaborations to occur.

A comprehensive review of literature was undertaken to assess the literature related to sports and urban development.

In addition to this introductory article, there are ten manuscripts selected for this special issue investigating sports and urban development.

This special issue seeks to promote more research on sports and urban development, ultimately ultimately advancing theories and providing solutions.