Analysis of contemporary urban brandings from the point of sustainability

central approaches, potentialities and limitations

Abstract

The projections of population growth added to the global trend of urbanization make the sustainable development of urban centers vital to the sustainability of the planet. As the principles of sustainable development reached worldwide relevance, definitions related to cities emerge. In this context, cities take ownership of brandings in order to highlight their image, attracting investment and human capital to leverage development, whether or not they constitute the city's strategic planning. The objective of this research is to analyze the central approaches, the potentialities and limitations between the main contemporary urban brandings from the perspective of sustainability. For this, the methodology used has a qualitative approach, with the technique of bibliographic research. As the city branding theme involves several aspects, the research delimits an intentional sample of definitions, which is structured in five sub-themes: sustainable cities, smart and sustainable cities, creative and innovative cities, inclusive and equal cities, resilient cities. The results indicate that the definition of urban sustainability is quite broad and given the territorial diversity, which expands the field of action, different definitions emerge that focus on a specific temporal and / or spatial aspect relevant to society. However, when choosing a certain branding as a guiding axis for urban public policies, it may not include essential aspects of urban sustainability, since most urban definitions do not see the city holistically, widening existing gaps, especially in the social and/or environmental dimensions.

Keywords: Urban sustainability. Sustainable Smart Cities. Creative and Innovative Cities. Inclusive and Equal Cities. Resilient Cities.