(Re)Building an Image for a City: Is A Landmark Enough? Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum, 10 Years Together¹

Abstract

The new global economic scenario has driven cities to urban entrepreneurialism and to a holistic marketing approach to define and manage successful redevelopment projects. Positioning in the chosen target market requires an image and a brand to communicate the city values, the assets that make her unique and better than her competitors. Urban design based on iconic buildings is one of the models of the culture‐led regeneration programs that are being developed to re‐image the city, to make her an attractive tourist destination. The present study analyzed the image and perception of Bilbao 10 years after the opening of the Guggenheim Museum, and concluded that more than the spectacular landmark should be considered to create a new image.

What Determines the Success of Culture-Led Regeneration Projects in China?

“…Carnegie and Norris [30] suggested that CRPs could help build local capacity, encourage public participation, strengthen community cohesion, and combat stigmatization. Regarding urban competitiveness, Sainz [19] found that CRPs facilitated the construction of a city's image and brand, which helped a city to increase its unique attractiveness and competitiveness. In addition to the aforementioned benefits, Moradi, Zarabadi and Majedi [27] concluded that CRPs could continuously improve cities' physical, social, cultural, environmental and economic conditions, which improved local residents' quality of life.…”

“…As an important type of URP, CRPs have attracted attention from scholars in related fields. In one case study, Sainz [19] argued that the construction of city image played an important role in achieving success in CRPs. In the study conducted by Moradi, Zarabadi and Majedi [27], the development of creative and cultural industry, the construction of a city brand, the creation of cultural neighborhoods and the promotion of cultural tourism were identified as the primary strategies for achieving success in CRPs.…”

“…Initially, keywords including "culture-led redevelopment," "culture-led regeneration," "culture-led renewal," "city re-image," and "culture-led rehabilitation" were used to search papers related to CRPs. These keywords have been widely used in previous studies [19,27,37], which can help researchers to identify the preliminary scope of CRP-related literature. Then, these papers were reviewed by the researchers to evaluate their linkages with CRPs.…”

“…Against this backdrop, a series of culture-led regeneration projects (CRPs) have been carried out, such as the Chinese Baroque in Harbin [16], Nantou Ancient City in Shenzhen [17], and Taoxichuan Art Avenue in Jingdezhen [18]. Studies have been conducted to evaluate the contribution of CRPs to the reconstruction of city image [19] and socio-economic development [20]. As a result, metrics for measuring the performance and success of CRPs have been clearly identified.…”

Repositioning through Culture: Testing Change in Connectivity Patterns

“…With the aim of turning around this negative scenario, a significant effort was made by the Basque government to construct a regional innovative infrastructure, which would foster the modernization of traditional industries and nurture new industrial and service activities (Cooke [5]). These strategies were combined with territorial regeneration and involved a strong cultural component (Alvarez Sainz [6]). …”