Place brands can provide powerful concepts van visions to attract, engage and unite investors, entrepreneurs, NGO’s and citizens in regional governance and coordinate their actions in order to enhance the sustainable development of their area. The International Place Branding Yearbook 2012 provides further insights in applying brand and marketing strategies to the economic, social, political and cultural development of cities, towns and regions around the world to help them compete in global, national and local markets. This edition particularly focuses on sustainability, smart growth and place branding.

In our book chapter we develop a perspective on the potential synergy between smart growth and place branding that can be valuable in various context – in the US, the EU and communities elsewhere. We show that some of the obstacles that comprehensive planning encounters could be reduced by paying closer attention to how value can be affected by planning.

Van Assche, K., Lo, M., Beunen, R. (2012) A perspective on planning, smart growth and place branding. In: International Place Branding Yearbook 2012: Managing Smart Growth and Sustainability / Go, F.M, Govers, R., . – Houndmills, Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, – p. 69 – 80.

Available via Google Books