Thomas Niedomysl and Mikael Jonasson
Place marketing approaches are increasingly employed by public authorities competing to attract capital. While a growing number of studies have provided valuable insights…
Abstract
Purpose
Place marketing approaches are increasingly employed by public authorities competing to attract capital. While a growing number of studies have provided valuable insights, scholars appear to be struggling to advance their theoretical understanding. This is arguably the result of failure to produce evidence‐based research, excessive focus on small‐scale case studies, difficulties bridging disciplinary boundaries, and reluctance to advance generalizations. To overcome these problems, the purpose of this paper is to present a framework that can be used to generate empirically testable hypotheses and thereby provide a structure for research.
Design/methodology/approach
A brief literature review first identifies obstacles that prevent place marketing research from making significant progress. Second, to overcome these obstacles, the paper identifies the need to consider spatial competition for capital, which has, remarkably, been overlooked. Third, drawing on these insights, a conceptual framework is presented. Fourth, from this framework, six propositions are deduced that may enable the development of a theory of place marketing.
Findings
This work first identifies the need for a more rigorous approach to the scientific study of place marketing. Second, a conceptual framework is suggested, based on spatial competition for capital. Third, the paper demonstrates that testable hypotheses can be deduced from the framework to provide a structure for research. Arguably, empirically testing such hypotheses would significantly advance our understanding of place marketing.
Originality/value
This paper identifies a feasible way to structure future research that should interest place marketing researchers seeking a more rigorous approach to theoretical advancement.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to provide conceptual foundations for a study exploring the capacity of hard infrastructure and amenities to influence the socio‐economic imprint of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide conceptual foundations for a study exploring the capacity of hard infrastructure and amenities to influence the socio‐economic imprint of urban spaces. The paper argues that some urban developments are more economically efficient in generating innovation and knowledge than others.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews the debate between urban density and infrastructure. Drawing on empirical evidence and economic production theory, it explores the spatial links between economic growth, innovation and knowledge productivity. It argues that the growing role of human capital in the production process has linked productivity to a city's mix and levels of infrastructure and amenities. It reviews five key infrastructure types for knowledge‐based developments.
Findings
This paper finds that the positive contribution of density to urban vibrancy and human connectivity is constrained by a city's infrastructure and amenity levels. It concludes that urban development cognisant of an appropriate mix and level of infrastructure and amenities will more likely enhance regional knowledge development and innovation than those which are not.
Social implications
The evidence presented in this paper has a broad range of strategic and practical socio‐economic implications, and contributes towards understanding how urban form can leverage social aspects of a city for economic growth.
Originality/value
Using an inter‐disciplinarian approach, this paper provides invaluable insights into the types of infrastructure and importance of urban form for knowledge‐based development. It contends that well‐planned knowledge‐based developments can be leveraged to ensure the successful implementation and delivery of national innovation and productivity priorities.
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Cathy Parker, Nikos Ntounis, Steve Millington, Simon Quin and Fernando Rey Castillo-Villar
The purpose of this paper is to document the results and the impact of the ESRC-funded High Street UK 2020 (HSUK2020), a project designed to take the existing academic knowledge…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to document the results and the impact of the ESRC-funded High Street UK 2020 (HSUK2020), a project designed to take the existing academic knowledge relating to retail and high street change directly to UK High Streets, to improve local decision-making and, ultimately, their vitality and viability.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a systematic literature review, and by following the tenets of engaged scholarship, the authors identified 201 factors that influence the vitality and viability of town centres. Through the consensus-building Delphi technique, a panel of 20 retail experts identified the top 25 priorities for action.
Findings
Taking a place management approach led to the development of a more strategic framework for regeneration, which consisted of repositioning, reinventing, rebranding and restructuring strategies (4R’s of regeneration). Collaboration with the project towns resulted in identification of the strategy area that would add the most value, and the impact of the 4R’s and the top 25 priorities is demonstrated via numerous town examples.
Originality/value
Knowledge exchange projects, such as High Street UK2020, have an important contribution to make, not by developing even more theory that is unlikely to get utilised, instead their contribution is to bring existing theory into practical use.
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Urban Fransson and Matias Eklöf
Concerning migration on a national level, two phenomena emerge: people migrating from one region to another and people moving from the countryside to the cities. The geographical…
Abstract
Concerning migration on a national level, two phenomena emerge: people migrating from one region to another and people moving from the countryside to the cities. The geographical shift of the population between regions in a country is a slow process. In Sweden, only a few percent of the population migrate yearly. Nevertheless, migration has caused and still causes considerable redistribution of the population toward the metropolitan regions in Sweden. This section will emphasize general trends in population concentration through urbanization and migration in Sweden and compare these trends with changes in other countries.
The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework for the analysis and evaluation of city brands equity that is firmly anchored to the interdisciplinary characteristics of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework for the analysis and evaluation of city brands equity that is firmly anchored to the interdisciplinary characteristics of the city branding research domain.
Design/methodology/approach
The study builds upon a database of 217 articles dealing with the phenomena of city branding retrieved from Lucarelli and Berg.
Findings
City brands are understood by different scholars as being characterized by both intangible and tangible elements, properly researched adopting a mixture of different methods and endowing certain type of outcomes that concern both the more directly related image and identity of the city as well, to a larger extent, the socio‐political and economical aspects.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based only on published English articles in the last 20 years.
Originality/value
The present paper suggests a framework that is based on the individualization of diverse city brand elements and the relations those have with the reported impact and the methodologies applied to reach this purpose. The framework can be used for both analyzing city brand equity research and practices. The paper contributes to the emerging field of city branding by offering a city brand equity framework that goes beyond the previous attempt in its interdisciplinary breath.