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Planning, preservation and place branding: A tale of sharing assets and narratives

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Abstract

In this article, we advance the idea that any form of spatial planning aiming at preservation of places, landscapes or landscape character has to resist the temptation to target such preservation directly. Rather, a careful study and management of place identity, as the discursive figuration of place images and narratives in the community, has to craft a persuasive planning narrative that has a better chance to coordinate stakeholders and integrate policies. We argue that such endeavor can benefit greatly from an integration with place branding strategies, strategies that have become more inclusive and governance-oriented themselves, and that often include similar concepts of narrative analysis, stakeholder involvement, and a combination of asset creation, asset protection and asset promotion. A sensitive study of place identity, signification of place and a precise reconstruction of the history of governance and planning in an area are prerequisites for such a strategy. We illustrate this by means of three case studies – Tuscany, Minnesota and Missouri – areas marked by different assets, different planning histories and options, and different perspectives for branding.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Paul Manning, Trent University, Canada, for his valuable insights in the construction of ‘brand’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Studies, Minnesota State Universities –, St Cloud State 1241, 8th Avenue North, St Cloud, 56303, MN, USA

    Kristof Van Assche

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  1. Kristof Van Assche
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  2. Ming Chien Lo
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Correspondence to Kristof Van Assche.

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Van Assche, K., Lo, M. Planning, preservation and place branding: A tale of sharing assets and narratives. Place Brand Public Dipl 7, 116–126 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2011.11

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