Abstract:Healey P. City regions and place development, Regional Studies. The paper explores the concept of a 'city region' in the context of proposals for reconfiguring sub-national government arrangements. It considers the various arguments behind calls for a 'city region' focus, and reviews recent experiences in the Netherlands and England. This highlights that the concept of a 'city region' can be mobilized both as an organizing device and to call attention to place dynamics. There are dangers in a narrow focus on a… Show more
“…Such metropolitan regions have, however, been criticised for failing to resonate with local actors because of being imposed by technocratic elites and their lack of a relation to the territory's cultural or geographical features (Healey, 2009;Lloyd and Peel, 2008).…”
This article explores the concept of contingent self-definition, whereby place brands employ flexible self-definitional approaches in constructing their place brand architecture. Adopting a view of regions as social constructs, the article builds on and extends previous work on place brand architecture by identifying the underlying factors that drive contingent self-definition decisions. Based on an empirical study of professionals tasked with managing region brands in the Netherlands, 11 factors are identified as drivers of contingent self-definition by place brands. These factors are grouped into four thematic categories: (i) external perceptions, (ii) proximity, (iii) brand relationships, and (iv) politics and power. A dynamic approach to place brand architecture is advocated, foregrounding the amorphous character of regions as social constructs that defy reification solely as fixed territorial-administrative spaces.
“…Such metropolitan regions have, however, been criticised for failing to resonate with local actors because of being imposed by technocratic elites and their lack of a relation to the territory's cultural or geographical features (Healey, 2009;Lloyd and Peel, 2008).…”
This article explores the concept of contingent self-definition, whereby place brands employ flexible self-definitional approaches in constructing their place brand architecture. Adopting a view of regions as social constructs, the article builds on and extends previous work on place brand architecture by identifying the underlying factors that drive contingent self-definition decisions. Based on an empirical study of professionals tasked with managing region brands in the Netherlands, 11 factors are identified as drivers of contingent self-definition by place brands. These factors are grouped into four thematic categories: (i) external perceptions, (ii) proximity, (iii) brand relationships, and (iv) politics and power. A dynamic approach to place brand architecture is advocated, foregrounding the amorphous character of regions as social constructs that defy reification solely as fixed territorial-administrative spaces.
“…Pese a la aprobación del plan en 2010, no se ha logrado movilizar la cooperación entre los actores locales para impulsar los objetivos plurimunicipales previstos. Este último caso evidencia que, pese a la buena voluntad de los gobiernos centralizados para impulsar la ordenación territorial, el proceso de configuración e institucionalización de las áreas urbanas debe realizarse considerando una comunidad de planeamiento más amplia que la de los técnicos y los políticos (Healey, 2009), e incorporando las interpretaciones territoriales desde abajo y el know-how local en las previsiones para la gestión de los objetivos planteados.…”
Section: Escenarios Incrementales O Alternativosunclassified
“…It certainly implies some level of geographic and economic coherence rather than simply denoting an administrative boundary. Healey (2009) has made the important point that city regions, as well as describing functional economic zones or spatial planning areas, also invoke constructed concepts of time and place. Different actors can read different meanings into their own images of a city region.…”
Section: "In the Mid-2000s 'City Region' Suddenly Became A Popular Imentioning
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