Place Branding Role in Portugal's Strategic Spatial Plans 2014-2020

Editor's Notes

1. Abstract Place branding has been embraced by place managers and policy makers as a panacea for a bewildering assortment of socio-spatial and spatial-economic ailments. Despite recent theoretical developments, place branding research lacks an intellectual grounding or even positioning within spatial planning and strategic plan making. Firstly, this article aims to depict the ‘place’ of place branding and related concepts in spatial planning literature, and reveal existing ‘entanglements’ to further provide conceptual and theoretical foundations. Secondly, by employing a qualitative content analysis, it aims to dissect how place branding has been approached in 21 spatial development plans, strategic initiatives and policy documents, published by Portuguese authorities, partnership of enterprises, the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) stating the territorial, spatial-economic and sectorial development trajectories for Portugal and its regions, mainly for the period between 2014 and 2020. At the EU level, the country-specific recommendations published in line with Europe 2020 deserve special critique. The EU 2020 strategic pillars give guidance to the Member States, such as Portugal, in terms of how to grow smartly and in a sustainable and inclusive manner. However, the contribution of each pillar, respectively, to spatial connectedness, spatial sustainability and spatial liveability remains doubtful. Empirical evidence proves that the concepts of place competitiveness, place promotion, internationalisation and investment attraction prevail. However, branding, and specifically place branding, only receives superficial attention. Moreover, there is an inconsistency between the current research and practice on place branding and how it has been incorporated in spatial planning and development at the European, national, and regional levels. This article aims to contribute to the advancement of place branding theory, methodology and practice as a number of methodological, theoretical and empirical challenges remain to be addressed. The argument here is that much terrain is yet to be uncovered by researchers in the investigation of the existing and potential linkage between spatial planning and place branding. In addition, it aims towards a better understanding of the way in which places and branding can be conceptually addressed, primarily by bringing a spatial dimension to the idea of branding places and its integration in spatial planning and strategic spatial plan making. By guiding the attention of academics, practitioners and policy makers towards a spatial-oriented approach to place branding, the article brings novelty to the scholarly and professional debate.
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3. The full version of this paper has been published in the Journal of Place Management and Development
4. Place branding has been used a panacea for economic and social ailments
5. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/22/canada-tisdale-slogan-land-of-rape-and-honey
6. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/22/canada-tisdale-slogan-land-of-rape-and-honey
7. Drawing on Kavaratzis (2012), there is an urgent need to rethink place branding towards a more participation-oriented practice, which can be achieved if integrated within wider strategic spatial planning interventions.
8. Colourful logos and dark realities (e.g.)
9. Facilitate strategic change in places
10. more socially responsible
11. We understand strategic spatial planning, which takes an integrated approach to the development of a territory (Healey et al., 1999), to be a means of overcoming the temporal and often spatial limitations and rigidities of traditional/statutory planning, basically concerned with the location, intensity, and harmonization of land development (Albrechts, 2010), as well as a way of overcoming the limitations of “planning on paper” (Balducci et al., 2011, p. 7), by confronting the contemporary social, spatial, and economic needs of a place, and envisioning better but realistic futures. It has been widely debated that cities and regions, including northern Portugal, are faced by a complex range of challenges that can no longer be addressed and managed adequately with the traditional intellectual apparatus and mindset (Albrechts, 2010). As a consequence, spatial planning and spatial planners must reflect on the adequate approaches and instruments to secure better futures for places and to improve the quality of life for all citizens. We have summarized in Table 1 key definitions of strategic spatial planning, that according to our viewpoint better support the debate on its interplay with place branding, and contribute to the discussion on a regional branding strategy for northern Portugal.
12. The role of strategic spatial planners in place branding As a matter of fact, places, such as regions, have been promoted and brands have been designed by those accustomed to promote shoes or electronic equipment. However, branding a place is a more complex task (see, for example, Ashworth and Kavaratzis, 2010) and requires the interactions of different disciplines (Kavaratzis et al., 2015) and experts, including strategic spatial planners. This does not bring into question either the expertise, capabilities and integrity of those dealing with place branding in executing public sectors commissions. But it does raise a number of problems for spatial planning (Ashworth and Voogd, 1999). The request for spatial planners to get involved with place marketing and branding is not new. Ashworth and Voogd (1999) underline that if marketing and branding “is to be part of public sector planning then it must be exercised, or at the very least its capabilities and results understood, by public sector planners” (1999, p. 156). However, the debate on place branding has been mostly concerned with translating mainstream methods and expertise from corporate marketing and branding to places (Hanna and Rowley, 2008; Boisen et al., 2011). What is required is a combination of visions, intuition, organisation and determination (Hall, 1987) to deal with the challenges ahead in place and (strategic) spatial planners must play roles less common in traditional approaches to spatial planning – spatial planners have now to strengthen their creativity to proactively respond to the complex issues faced by places. It has been assumed that some of the attempts to respond to the complex issues places are facing depend on the ability to combine the creation of strategic long-term visions with short-term actions (Albrechts, 2004). The role of strategic spatial planners goes beyond the technicality of land use plans, territorial zoning, or spatial regulations. It is also necessary to deal with competitive agendas, place-based innovation, transnational learning processes as well as dealing with private capital. It is paramount to discuss and keep the needs and hopes of the community at the core of all spatial interventions and spatial strategies. It is fundamental to maintain a consistent and confident attitude from the side of spatial planners to avoid alienating citizens from their living and working environments. A successful place branding initiative, for instance at the regional scale, able to integrate the stories of communities at the heart of the branding process – in a participative-oriented approach is likely to enhance the perceived value of strategic spatial planning and the role of spatial planners. According to Healey (2006), there is an imaginative power in strategic spatial planning – a strategic spatial plan or the design of strategic plan-making can be imagined as a vision of the future of a place, such as a region. Therefore, spatial planners must play a core role of being creative thinkers, catalysts and initiators of change (Albrechts, 1999) and developing instruments, such as place branding, to make better places to live, work, study, invest, play and dream in the longer run. This would only be possible if envisioning processes consists of the development of a realistic long-term vision operationalised with short-term actions taking into account the power structures, uncertainties and competing values. Furthermore, the spatial planner must also play the role of a negotiator engaging various relevant place actors in a spatial context, in the definition of spatial strategies and constructing a spatial logic. Thus, design plan-making structures and develop content, images and decision framework through which to influence and to manage spatial change. In the same line of reasoning, a spatial planner must embrace future-strategic thinking in place branding exercises as they deal with spatial qualities, multiple place actors, including citizens and organisations, place opportunities and threats, external trends and forces, all within the resources available. In line with the role of strategic spatial planners in place branding this thesis is dived in 9 Chapters. The Chapters cover the ground a spatial planner must cover when dealing with place branding, including a diagnosis of the spatial condition, the visions of key place actors and the current spatial policies at the national (Portugal) and regional (northern Portugal levels). The final Chapters withdraw conclusions beyond the case study that could be used as lessons to be learned by other regions dealing with place branding processes. The next section details the structure of the thesis and provides an overview of the Chapters.
13. (see Zenker & ​Jacobsen, 2015)
14. Exist which are each supported by unique visual elements and aesthetic values; and only the documents produced at a cross-border level (Galicia-northern Portugal) seem to better articulate marketing initiatives with more strategic spatial interventions and a vision for the Euroregion, although locked into a 2020 horizon.
15. Exist which are each supported by unique visual elements and aesthetic values; and only the documents produced at a cross-border level (Galicia-northern Portugal) seem to better articulate marketing initiatives with more strategic spatial interventions and a vision for the Euroregion, although locked into a 2020 horizon.