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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201264
Sevin Aksoylu*
IntroductionCities provide social and technical infrastrucutre
like social, cultural, industrial andeducational facilities,
commercial activities, houses for dwellers and leisure
amenities(Stewart, 1996). That is why, cities can be regarded as a
product from this perspective andbranding strategies can be applied
like the other products and services (Keller, 1999; Morganet al.,
2002; Hankinson, 2004; and Anholt, 2005). Cities compete with each
other to attractnew tourists, visitors and investments (Ashworth
and Voogd, 1990; Kanter, 1995; andWarnaby, 1998).
The politics of urban development and interurban competition
have been thefocus of urban studies in recent decades (Logan and
Molotch, 1987; Cox and Mair,1988; Peck, 1995; Peck and Tickell,
1995; Lauria, 1997; Hall and Hubbard, 1998;Cochrane, 1999; Cochrane
et al., 1996; Cox, 1999; and Jonas and Wilson, 1999a).Particularly,
since the 1980s, the competition has increased between cities and
theyhave felt a need to differentiate themselves from each other to
assert theirindividuality. Depending on the increasing interurban
competition, city marketing,urban branding and urban regeneration
and image making have become the keyfactors for urban
governance.
2012 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
* Professor, Department of Architecture, Anadolu University,
Yunusemre Kampus, 26470Eskiehir,, Turkey. E-mail:
[email protected]
City Marketing and Urban Branding ThroughUrban Regeneration and
Image Making as a Case
of Eskiehir-Turkey
Depending on the increasing interurban competition, city
marketing, urbanbranding and urban regeneration and image making
have become key factors ofurban governance, and many city managers
have started to strengthen placepromoting activities. Methods and
technologies of urban marketing and citybranding are accepted as
the dominant aspect of competition in cities during
theglobalization and urbanization process, and can help and
facilitate to differentiatethem from other places. Marketing
techniques are often used to help a citystransformation into a
center of tourism, culture and redevelopment. This paperexamines
the effects of the urban regeneration and image making activities
on thecity marketing and urban branding procedures as a case of
Eskiehir..
Keywords: Urban regeneration, Competitiveness of the cities,
Urban marketing, City branding
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65City Marketing and Urban Branding Through Urban
Regenerationand Image Making as a Case of Eskiehir-Turkey
Today, it is a fact that what is projected as the image of a
city can be moreimportant than the reality of the city itself in
shaping the visitors, investors and itsown inhabitants opinion of
it. Marketing techniques are often used to help a
citystransformation into a center of tourism, culture and
redevelopment. In addition,urban tourism plays an increasingly
important role in deciding the economicdevelopment strategies by
the local authorities. In this matter, the city marketingplays a
decisive role (Deffner and Liouris, 2005).
City marketing is defined as the practice of selling places, and
entails publicand private agencies who strive to sell the image of
a particular geographically-defined place, usually a town or city,
so as to make it attractive to economicenterprises, to tourists and
even to inhabitants of that place (Kearns and Philo,1993). City
marketing aims at a series of different objectives such as raising
thecompetitive position of the city, attracting inward investment,
improving its imageand establishing city identity (Inn, 2004).
Urban images are constructed boththrough discourseas in marketing
campaigns, promotional brochures and touristadvertising and by more
concrete means, including the transformation of the
builtenvironment through public works, historical preservation and
redevelopmentprograms (Broudehoux, 2001).
Marketing and promotion have been identified as the key
components of urbanregeneration. It is evident that a longer-term
view would require capitalizing on thebenefits of urban
regeneration towards strategic goals of attracting economic
activitiesas the basis for social and economic development of the
city. This is often includedin city marketing, or the search for
new roles for a city by promoting business,cultural, educational
and other modern sector activities, including tourism (UNEP,2004).
In the cities where urban marketing is a tool, the awareness of
urbanregeneration is high. Urban regeneration projects contribute
to the improvement ofthe image of the city and make it more
attractive not only for the residents, but alsofor tourists and
visitors. Tourism plays an important role in the development
ofurban image construction process and deciding the economic
development strategiesby the local governance authorities.
Furthermore, it creates a more attractiveenvironment for investors,
revitalizing further the local economy. Within thediscussions of
city marketing, some economic and commercial facilities and
culturalevents are accepted as crucial multiplier effects.
Therefore, many cities have begunto accomplish these types of
activities (Harvey, 1993).
Eskiehir, located in Central Anatolia, is a medium sized city
with a populationof 600,000 and is not exempt from these
developments (Appendix Table A1). Since1999 when the mayor Ylmaz
Bykeren was elected, city marketing, urban brandingand image making
activities and depending on this urban regeneration projectshave
been implemented, and Eskiehir has become the most important type
oftourist destination and tourism has grown as a source of revenue,
thus greatlyinfluencing their economic and physical development.
Otherwise, demand for
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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201266
commercial, private health and hotel investments have increased.
Some local artswhich tended to disappear, such as meerschaum
products, were revived and somelocal foods such as ibrek, gbete,
kakbrek , and ibrek, gbete, kakbrek, have been introducedto
Turkey.
This article examines the relation of the image making and urban
regenerationactivities to city marketing and urban branding
procedures as a case of Eskiehir.Initially, relevant literature was
reviewed. Statistical archives of the municipality,museums and
Directorship of Tourism played a crucial role in data collection
andanalysis. Promotional brochures, advertising campaigns,
webpages, developmentplans and other reports on strategies are
secondary data.
Urban Marketing and City Branding Through UrbanRegenerationIn
recent decades, strategies for urban regeneration have been
developed due tothe interurban competition and growing awareness of
the cities role as an impetusfor innovation and regional economic
growth. The concept of urban regenerationcan be evaluated in
different ways depending on the development levels of thecountries.
This process has developed in different periods and in different
waysby considering the dynamic structure of cities. In the most
developed economies,the goal is to promote a return to the city,
revitalize the city center, restoreactivity in a fiercely
competitive international context, and implement initiativesto
improve the quality of the environment operating in a wide sense
towards asmart growth. In course of time, urban regeneration has
developed from therenovation or rehabilitation of built environment
to rebuilding of the urban fabric,the renewal of the city image or
the urban economy and equity, publicparticipation and their
professional and social integration into a multi-functionalcontext
(UNEP, 2004). Urban regeneration has been formalized in the US in
the1960s, when relocation of marine activities started the total
abandonment oflarge territories which have become harbor disused
lands. Offices, shoppingcenters, markets, etc. formed the city
center during this period and morefunctional city centers have been
created. By the 1980s, social concerns werereplaced by economic
concerns, and regeneration projects started preparing thecity for a
new century (Gotham, 2001). Urban regeneration was launched inmany
urban areas, functionally heteregeneous and densely populated to
createhigh quality urban environment and image in the 1990s.
First implementations related to the urban regeneration examples
of Turkey datedback to the early 1970s. Subsequently, urban
regeneration projects through masshousing institution and
municipalities have gained importance and theseimplementations have
been recognized as one of the main planning tools. The rateof
immigration to the cities is falling and there is a shift of focus
from the problemsof dealing with the processes of explosive urban
growth to the challenges of
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67City Marketing and Urban Branding Through Urban
Regenerationand Image Making as a Case of Eskiehir-Turkey
restructuring and modernization of the increasingly obsolete
urban fabric and alsoto create high quality urban environment and
image as seen in the developed countries(Goksin and Muderrisoglu,
2005). Some legislation was put in practice to regulatethis
process. The responsibilities of TOK (Mass Housing Authority) have
widenedand its resources have increased through some regulations
after 2003. Preparationand implementation of the improvement plans
for regeneration areas, makingconstruction implementations and
performing financial regulations are some of theresponsibilities of
the institution.
Urban regeneration projects contribute to the improvement of the
image of a cityand create a more attractive environment for
visitors, investments, workers andcompanies. Urban regeneration has
become a component of urban and regionaldevelopment strategies to
think about not only the built environment, but also theimmaterial
things, designing a good image and maintaining a good brand. The
brandwill increase the status of the city as a place for investment
or business establishment,a tourism destination or a residential
place. Tourists will want to come or businesseswill want to locate
in the city, just because of its fame (Ejigu et al., 2004).
Accordingto Landry (2000), good quality of life is to be used as a
competitive tool.
After the 1999 elections, the new mayor, who was the old rector
of AnadoluUniversity, was elected in Eskiehir (Figure 1) and
efforts to create a new imagefor the city, market the city as a
focus of national and foreign investments andvisitors flows, to
increase the quality of life for residents and to redefine its
identityhave increased. The main aim was to promote Eskiehir as an
exciting place to livein and visit through an emphasis on its
cultural richness and life quality.The importance and weight of the
creativity and culture have increased on theagenda of the
municipality. Urban tourism is only one element of a wider
strategyof urban regeneration (Hubbard, 1996). That is why
strategies in Eskiehir were
Figure 1: Location of Eskiehir
Eskiehir
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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201268
not only devised to attract tourists, but also citizens.
Importance was given to theexpansion of the third sector such as
services, culture, leisure and research,construction of tram lines,
pedestrianization of the city center, conservation ofcivil
architecture and construction and marketing of spectacular urban
landscapesthrough urban marketing campaigns.
City marketing is a powerful tool in the hands of city
management and, if usedappropriately, it can promote all aspects of
urban development (Kavaratis andAshworth, 2005). Since encounters
between cities and users take place throughperceptions and images
and construction, the communication and management ofthe citys
image are the indispensable parameters for applying city marketing.
Urbanimages are constructed both through discourseas in marketing
campaigns,promotional brochures and tourist advertisingand by more
concrete means,including the transformation of the built
environment through public works, historicalpreservation and
redevelopment programs (Broudehoux, 2001). Marketing
thereforecannot other than be the conscious and planned practice of
signification andrepresentation (Firat and Venkatesh, 1993), which
in turn is the starting point forexamining place branding. City
branding is an approach that centers on theconceptualization of the
city as a brand; and a brand is a multidimensional
construct,consisting of functional, emotional, relational and
strategic elements that collectivelygenerate a unique set of
associations in the public mind (Aaker, 1996).
Reflection of local assets and characteristics depends on the
link between thephysical urban transformation and branding. Because
linkage and coordination withphysical transformation processes and
urban (re) development initiatives havestrengthened the city
branding, both the brand itself and the method ofcommunication can
take various forms: e.g., events, award ceremonies,
conferences,supporting film industry, fashion locations,
delegations, trade fairs, television, press,literature, signature
buildings, and local ambassadors (Johan and Power, 2006).Consumer
orientation is one of the cornerstones of marketing thought. In
urbanmarketing, consumers orientation would behow the residents
make sense of thephysical, symbolic elements of the city and how
they encounter the city in whichthey live. In general, people make
sense of places or construct places in their mindsthrough three
processes (e.g., Crang, 1998; and Holloway and Hubbard, 2001).
Theseare first through planned interventions like planning, urban
design and so on;secondly through the way in which they or others
use specific places; and thirdly,through various forms of place
representations like films, novels, paintings, newsreports and so
on. It is generally acknowledged that people encounter places
throughperceptions and images.
Many large-scale urban development projects and a series of
cultural-architectural or sports events designed to stage urban
change and transform theimage of Eski ehir at
national-international level and within the city werelaunched.
Consequently, Eski ehir re-created a new image for itself and
transmitted
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69City Marketing and Urban Branding Through Urban
Regenerationand Image Making as a Case of Eskiehir-Turkey
this image to tourists, potential investors and residents. An
important element ofthis process has been the key role played by a
series of cultural events, streetmusic, theater, dance
performances, fashion shows, light installations on PorsukRiver and
historical buildings. Urban marketing campaigns, supported by a
programof cultural and festive events staged on and around the
building sites, have turneda mundane experience into a spectacular
event. The impact of tourism has increaseddue to the multiplication
of opportunities for the visitors and the tourist flows inEski
ehir,, and the urban tourism sector started to become an important
part ofthe citys economy.
According to Jansen-Verbeke, there are a number of primary
tourism elementsthat have the ability to attract tourists and
visitors (Ejigu et al., 2004). One ofthe most primary elements in
tourism is that the visitor leaves with the feelingthat there were
so many things to do and see, but did not have much time, andso
wants to come back (Ejigu et al., 2004). Cultural facilities such
as museumsand art galleries, theaters, concert halls, cinemas,
conference centers, indoorand outdoor sport facilities, amusement
facilities such as night clubs, casinos,organized events,
festivals, parks and green areas, water, canals, artificial
beach,interesting buildings, religious buildings, place of
livelihood, cultural heritage,hospitality, safety and local customs
are the other elements to attract tourists.At the same time, night
life, including both fancy restaurants and venues whichattract
young and trendy people (Chatterton and Hollands, 2002), local
cuisine,public spaces, particularly natural environments and parks,
together with facilitiesfor outdoor sports (Cybriwsky, 1999) and
landmark buildings (Temelova, 2007)provide opportunities for
high-quality education for both young and professionals,who are
widely considered as an essential element of urban
competitiveness(Stead, 2003). Events, particularly mega-events
(Hall, 1992; and Hiller, 2000),large demonstrations, concerts,
sports events, and cultural exhibitions are alsothe components of
brand classification of creative arguments and images.
Culturalevents may add life to city streets, giving citizens
renewed pride in their homecity (Richards and Wilson, 2004).
There are also secondary or additional elements such as hotels,
catering facilities,commercial centers or areas and markets,
accessibilityinternal transport networkand parking facilities,
tourism facilitiesinformation offices, maps, leaflets andguides.
Though there are problems related to traffic and parking
facilities, Eskiehirhas all the possibilities mentioned above,
thats why pleasure of the inhabitantsand number of tourists
increase day by day. Tourism in the city is based mainly onshort
breaks rather than on long-term vacations in Eskiehir..
Urban Branding and the Changing Image of Eskiehir ThroughUrban
RegenerationBranding is differentiation of yourself from others.
Therefore, a first step towardsthis is to identify local strengths
and characteristics. Eski ehir is a medium
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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201270
sized city with a population of 600,000 people. Porsuk river,
Odunpazar historicalsite, some monumental buildings, modern social
structure of the inhabitantswho migrated from Bulgaria, Romania,
Greece, Albania, Macedonia in generaland two universities with
youth population, etc., are the local strengths andcharacteristics
of the city.
By considering the importance of physical changes as mental
images, constructionof cultural buildings such as contemporary
glass arts museum that is the first inTurkey, Eskiehir Greater
Municipality City Theaters, City Opera and green areasthat are
differentiated with the distinctive facilities such as artificial
beach, Thefairy tale castle, etc., have increased. While on the one
hand Eskiehir GreaterMunicipality tried to emphasize the local
strengths and characteristics and brandingthe city, on the other
hand some applications which were copied from some Europeancities
such as Amsterdam, Stockholm, Paris, etc., by ignoring the identity
andcharacteristics of the city have been realized. Furthermore,
traffic and accessibilityproblems due to the insufficient tram
lines from the mass housing and squatterareas to the city center
and lack of parking space have increased. Projects ofMunicipality
and its effects to the image making of the city are discussed
below.
Spatial, Social and Cultural Projects of Eski ehir Greater
Municipality
The development of the symbolic economy of cities has broadened
the competitionover the control of visual images (Zukin, 1995).
Urban regeneration has played akey role in transforming the
construction sites and new urban developments into atourist
attraction for both visitors and citizens through architectural
spectacle, culturalevents and festivalization. Image building is
supported by physical infrastructures,policies and events, both in
a culturally direct manner and in a quasi-cultural one.The first
category includes the construction of new landmark structures
designed byprestigious international architects, creation of local
museums, support of local artfoundations, installation of artistic
elements in different parts of the city and theorganization of
events. After Lord Mayor Ylmaz Bykeren was elected in
1999,initially, collective intelligence conference was realized for
preparing a strategic planin 2000 and subsequently, an
environmental layout plan with a scale of 1/100,000and a master
plan with a scale of 1/25,000 were prepared. A master plan with
ascale of 1/5,000 was revised and transportation master plan was
also prepared.Odunpazar Historical Site Regeneration Project and
Master Porsuk River Projecthave been elaborated. Some historical
buildings were restored by giving them someactivities. Eskiehir
Greater Municipality aimed at decreasing the use of motorvehicles
in the city center and first stage tram lines entered into service
in 2004, andthe project of extending the current 16 km tram line
was prepared, but was suspendeddue to political differences between
the local and central governments. The secondstage is more
important than the first one for city transportation because it
willreach out to the outskirts where the squatters and mass housing
areas are denselyconstructed. Pedestrianization of the city center
and increase in the bicycle routesare the supported activities of
the mass transport.
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71City Marketing and Urban Branding Through Urban
Regenerationand Image Making as a Case of Eskiehir-Turkey
Master infrastructure Project was prepared by municipality and
financed by theEuropean Investment Bank (EIB). The length of new
infrastructure lines constructedin Mayor Bykerens term reached to
1,500 km in total. This work was supportedby the municipalitys own
resources and external loan. All the old and health damagingwater
pipes were replaced. Hundreds of kilometers of potable water lines
were laid.New storm water lines were constructed in numerous
districts. The construction offive new boulevards of 25 m width
started. The city dump that has been causingserious environmental
issues like air pollution because of casual storage for yearswas
solved by construction of a new plant on 700,000 sq. m area. A new
fully equippedsewerage treatment plant is being constructed by the
existing Wastewater TreatmentPlant that can treat only half of the
waste it takes in. The new treatment plant, oneof the biggest
projects, shall manage to meet its own electricity need to a
largeextent from the waste it treats (www.eskisehir-bld.gov.tr,
2010).
As mentioned earlier, Porsuk river is the main characteristic
and symbol of thecity. That is why, Master Porsuk project was
prepared and a section of the river bedwhich covers 13 km of inner
city transition was cleaned and arrangements weremade for using the
river as a means for transportation and touristic purposes for
thefirst time in Turkey. Today Amsterdam type boats and Venice type
gondolas giveservice on Porsuk River (Figure 2). Sand and mud
catcher facilities were constructedat the entrance point of Porsuk
into the city, cautions were taken in order to preventground
liquefaction and natural disaster risk. 24 vehicle and pedestrian
bridgesover Porsuk River which are determined to be not resistant
to possible earthquakesare reconstructed in the scope of Master
Porsuk Project. While restoring the existingpedestrian bridges,
elderly, handicapped and people using baby buggies are all
takeninto consideration. Eight water level control structures were
constructed on specificpoints along the 13 km stretch. Blanket
gablon arrangements were carried out inthe Porsuk river bed for the
purpose of preventing landslip due to erosion.Eskiehir Greater
Municipality is the first municipality that takes precaution
against
Figure 2: Boats, Gondolas and Bridges in Eskiehir
Source: http://www.eskisehir-bld.gov.tr (2010)
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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201272
the aridity trouble by constructing a pond which is 2.5 km long.
The pond is not onlythe water guarantee for lack of water in the
future, but it also hosts national andinternational water sports
organizations.
A city must have special characteristics and good qualities in
order to brand itselfsuccessful. According to a research called
intercity competitiveness index 2008-2009and realized by
International Center of Excellence for Competitiveness
(URAK),Eskiehir is the third city of Turkey in terms of human
capital and quality of life. Therange of branding skills and
innovation index in the industry increased from 16th in2008 to 10th
in 2009 (www.urak.org, 2010). Eskiehir has a highly educated and
open-minded city population. Prosperity and social development
level and youth populationof the city is higher than many cities in
Turkey. One of the essential elements ofurban competitiveness is
the opportunity for high quality education for bothprofessionals
and young people (Stead, 2003). There are two universities in
Eskiehirand the number of formal students in both the universities
is 40,502, and the numberof students attending open university is
1,092,915. Depending on the dynamic sociallife, municipality also
gave importance to the provision of social and cultural
facilitiesand activities which are demanded from the citizens and
the students. City theaters,symphony orchestra and city opera are
some of these facilities. City theaters ofEskiehir Greater
Municipality started to stage plays in 2001. There are also
twosymphony orchestras in Eskiehir, one belonging to Anadolu
University, and theother to Greater Municipality. The Eskiehir
Symphony Orchestra is acting as theopera orchestra of the city
since its foundation in 2002. The art activities attract
greatattention of the public and tickets are sold out days before
the dates of activities.Orchestras of national and international
organizations are invited to perform theirconcerts. Apart from
this, exclusive opuses are presented regularly in the city
operahouse. Drama training is free to all children over seven years
of age.
smet nn Headquarter Building was restored and will be put into
service asIndependence War Museum in the near future (Figure
3).
Figure 3: smet nn Headquarter Building
Source: http://www.eskisehir-bld.gov.tr (2010)
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73City Marketing and Urban Branding Through Urban
Regenerationand Image Making as a Case of Eskiehir-Turkey
Haller Youth Center is the one of the most successful
performances of municipalitywithin the scope of urban
transformation for its contribution to the citys history
byrestoring the market hall and ascribing it a social, economical
and cultural identity(Figure 4). Municipality was awarded the
Historical Cities Association Award in theyear 2002. The Haller
Youth Center, which was once an abondened market hall forfruit and
vegetables, was restored to a community center by the municipality,
and it istransformed to a multipurpose center comprising a theater
of the municipality,exhibition hall, various shops, bars, cafes and
small restaurants.
The corn silo, waiting to be demolished, was turned into a
luxurious hotelwith a unique project in the world and brought Eski
ehir important tourismvalues (Figure 5).
Figure 4: Views from the Outside and Inside of Haller Youth
Center
Source: http://www.eskisehir-bld.gov.tr
Figure 5: View of the Corn Silo Before and After the
Restoration
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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201274
Odunpazar district, where many vernacular houses and monumental
buildingssuch as Kurunlu Klliye are located, is the historical site
of the city. With the aimto develop Eskiehirs tourism potential,
and to conserve and transform thetraditional values to the future,
Odunpazar Houses Conservation and SustenanceProject was realized.
One of the Odunpazar houses was designed as part of the citymuseums
complex. The first of the city museum complex structures was
designedas Contemporary Glass Arts Museum. The museum, where about
50 works of art ofboth local and international contemporary glass
artists are displayed, is establishedwith the cooperation of
Greater Municipality, Anadolu University and Glass FriendsGroup.
While 48,428 people visited the museum between March 2008 and
December2008, this number increased to 108,088 people between
January 2009 and December2009 (Statistical Data of the Contemporary
Glass Arts Museum, 2010). EskiehirCity History Museum will open
within the same structure in the near future.Moreover, Wax Works
Museum will open in the old municipality building which
isregistered as monumental building. The old slaughterhouse
building in Kent Parkwas restored and transformed into a restaurant
complex. Transportation to thiscomplex is by boats on Porsuk river
(Figure 6).
One of the components of city branding is to create public
spaces, particularlynatural environments and parks together with
facilities for outdoor sports (Cybriwsky,1999; and Temelova, 2007).
What a city actually looks like and the physicalcharacteristics it
possesses are extremely important. Eskiehir Greater
Municipalitytried to differentiate its activities from the other
cities. This provided branding,uniqueness, pleasure of inhabitants
and tourist flows to the city. One of the differencesis the
activities in the green areas. While the green and flowered area
was only240.000 m2 in 1999, it increased to 1.239.000 m2 at
present. Eskiehir is a model citywith its glant parks and refuges
embelished with various kinds of flowers.
Figure 6: Odunpazar Houses and the SlaughterhouseAfter the
Restoration
Source: http://www.eskisehir-bld.gov.tr
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75City Marketing and Urban Branding Through Urban
Regenerationand Image Making as a Case of Eskiehir-Turkey
Large scaled and highly qualifiedparks such as City Park,
Science,Art and Culture Park, and PondPark were constructed.
Science,Art and Culture Park, which is aresting and amusement
parkwith an area of 400,000 m2, is oneof the few in Turkey and
biggestpark in Eskiehir (Figure 7). Ithas a big pond with area
forwater sports activities,restaurants, cafes, an open airconcert
space for 1,200 people,amphitheater and a pirate
ship.Transportation in the park isprovided by mini trains. It
makesa major contribution to Eskiehir reputation for being the new
favorite spot ofdomestic tourism. The fairy tale castle, decorated
with the most famous fairy talecharacters like Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs and Pirates of the Caribbean, isthe most colorful spot
of the park. A science experiment center is arranged in orderto
provide the elementary and high school students an actual
environment wherethey can carry out scientific experiments. A
planetarium is also present where childrenlearn about the secrets
of the sky and magical space apart from endless parks.
Kentpark has 350 m artificial beach (Figure 8) to make Eski ehir
people feel thepleasure of sea, indoor and outdoor swimming pools,
child pool, play tools, city house,restaurants, pond, horse-riding
spaces, walking areas decorated by sculptures andbuffets are all
attraction spots ofKentpark. A 400 m2 semi-Olympic swimming pool
complex,with food courts, child pool andgym sections, offers
service,while swimming lessons areprovided to all age groups
byexpert swimming instructors. Themanege is one of the
mostattractive points of Kentpark forboth young and elderly.
The construction of a Pond parkwill be realized very soon with
abig pond, playground for children,sports fields food courts
andmultipurpose space for concerts
Figure 8: Artificial Beach
Source: http://www.eskisehir-bld.gov.tr
Figure 7: Science, Art and Culture Park
Source: http://www.eskisehir-bld.gov.tr
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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201276
and other activities. It will also serve as a stop for the
passengers travelling on the ringroad which strengthens the image
of Eski ehir as a model city. A picnic area with a minipond,
bridges over creeks, playground for children, walking tracks and
sitting area areother points of attraction that are constructed.
Natural island, called ukur ar, which waspreviously used as fish
mall, has been transformed into a new park.
Many social activities and support to the women, elderly and
handicapped arerealized by the municipality. The Greater
Municipality Women Consulting and SolidarityCenter where women get
support in areas of health, education, law, in-familycommunication
from experts is put into service. Activities of this center are
judicialand psycological consultation, helping women to access
institutions where they canget medical and economical support,
setting strategies to fight with violence directedat women,
arranging educational programs on health and social matters,
informingwomen on methods of fighting with violence. Free of charge
courses and social activitiesare provided in the educational
centers for everybody from 7 to 70. English, German,French and
Russian language courses, painting, chess and hot glass processing
coursesattract great attention. Vocational courses extend from
computer training, nursing ofold and ill persons and mother-child
training to various hobby art programs. Withinthe scope of Every
House, a workshop project, new education centers are establishedto
provide housewives and young girls with professional skills. Outlet
stores whereproducts of trainees can be sold are established.
City Marketing Campaigns and Urban Tourism in Eskiehir
As mentioned earlier, the main targets of marketing strategy are
the success inattracting tourists, investors, businesses, residents
and the influence on local society.In general, people make sense of
places or construct places in their minds throughthree processes
(Crang, 1998; and Holloway and Hubbard, 2001). Initially,
throughplanned interventions, such as city planning, urban
designing, etc., and subsequently,through the way in which the
people use specific places, and finally through variousforms of
place representations such as novels, reports, paintings, films, TV
series,news, etc. According to Holloway and Hubbard (2001),
interactions with places maybe through direct experience or the
environment or indirectly through mediarepresentations; events,
particularly mega-events (Hall, 1992; and Hiller, 2000)large
demonstrations, concerts, sports events, and cultural exhibitions,
have thehypnotic power to attract and concentrate at the same time
and in the same placethe attention of millions of people from all
over the world. This strong communicativepower can be used in urban
discourse to spread ideas of transformation, regeneration,and
success, and not just for an external audience: cultural events may
add life tocity streets, giving citizens renewed pride in their
home city (Richards and Wilson,2004). Presenting the right image in
the right way through the right channels is amajor challenge for
urban branding initiatives. Combination of a slogan and logo isthe
most commonly used methods. This is often considered as an
essential startingpoint for any urban branding campaign.
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77City Marketing and Urban Branding Through Urban
Regenerationand Image Making as a Case of Eskiehir-Turkey
Eskiehir Greater Municipality defined some slogans to empower
its image, suchas center of love and culture, city of civilization,
city of solidarity, etc. This objectivewas supported by organizing
other international and national events. Because, eventsare
considered the strongest tool of marketing and ideal carriers to
strengthenEskiehirs profile and many festivals and races were
arranged in the city..International Eskiehir feast is organized in
the autumn every year and many artistsand groups from different
countries are invited. One of the countries is selected asspecial
visitor, and many branches of art, such as ethnic music, classical
music, jazz,cinema and theater plays are presented for 10 days
during the feast. Canoe races onPorsuk river are traditionalized
with the cooperation of Turkey Canoe Federation.Traveling film
festival, the rock film festival, English short films week, the
jazz andblues festival, international Eskiehir children and youth
theaters festival, streetfeast, youth feast, kid feast and the
international terracota symposium are someexamples of these
activities (Appendix Table A2). Cities have to use the media suchas
TV, magazine, newspaper, etc. to promote the good events and things
which happenin their boundaries. If the cities use the media, their
brands will be spread effectively.Eskiehir and Mayor Bykeren
succeeded in using media to promote the goodthings in Eskiehir.
City has been widely used in Turkish movies and TV series andthe
Mayor was invited for many TV programs and appeared in many
national televisionchannels and the city took part in the TV and
magazine news. This resulted in theincrease of tourist number from
68,000 in 2004 to 146,451 in 2009 (Directorship ofTourism and
Culture, 2010) and tourist flow is increasing with each passing
day.
Investments of national and international private entrepreneurs
and night lifeactivities have also increased in recent years. The
number of shopping centers, privatehospitals, chains of hotels,
restaurants cafes, bars, etc. increased. Lastly, a deal forthe
establishment of manufacturing plant of cherry cars has been made
betweenauthorities of municipality and the chamber of
industries.
ConclusionDue to accelerated and intensified globalization,
cities and urban regions are in agreat competition with other
places in order to create liveable cities, to attractinvestments,
businesses, residents, tourists, shoppers, talents, events, and to
improvecitizens satisfaction. As mentioned earlier, the image of
the city plays an importantrole in attracting investors, tourists,
visitors and to make citizens stay withsatisfaction. Cities can
create images to be unique and many cities in the worldhave been
successful in doing this. Since the 1990s, place branding has
beenintroduced and used to help create a positive image and make
cities memorable andrecognizable (Twitchell, 2005). Eskiehir, where
the number of educated and open-minded city population is higher
than in many Turkish cities, became a highlydistinctive brand, and
creativity and culture are mostly employed to build aninnovative
image. Recently, Eskiehir offers many things for citizens, tourists
andvisitors to enjoy, including international events, attractions,
entertainment, sports,
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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201278
commerce, restaurants, etc. Tourist flows and rate of
investments increased duringthe last two years. The municipality
has therefore made it clear that an accessible,safe and attractive
public realm will be essential to enhance the competitiveness ofthe
cities in the national and global markets. But it must be known
that branding
can supplement the good things that are taking place in the
city; traffic, polluted
river and environment, lack of accessibility and disappearance
of the city identity or
even the perceived image of these things can lead to a negative
brand for a city that
will be difficult to reverse. On the one hand, Eskiehir Greater
Municipality tried toemphasize the local strengths and
characteristics, and on the other hand, some
applications copied from some European cities such as
Amsterdam-type boats and
bridges and Venice-type gondolas by ignoring the identity of the
city were
implemented. The municipality has to give up this type of
applications, solve traffic
and parking problems by considering the transportation master
plan, extend the
tram lines to the mass housing and squatter areas, and prevent
the pollution of
Porsuk river. Furthermore, as a component of branding,
construction of new landmark
structures designed by prestigious international or national
architects (Thermal hotels,
conference center) and special attention to situations of
multiethnicity and
multiculturalism must be realized.
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Annual population increase rate (%) 18.3 9.6 21
Internal migration rate (%) 17.8 8
Total fertility 55.0 44.0 78
Dependency ratio (%) 2.5 1.7 80
Infant mortality rate (%) 43.0 40.0 79
Literacy rate (%) 98.7 99.0 2
Graduation from university rate (%) 7.8 8.6 2
Number of people per doctor 764.0 630.0 3
Number of hospital beds per person (2001) 430.0 245.0 2
Table A1: Demographic Characteristics of Eskiehir
Source: www.die.org.tr (2010)
Rank AmongProvinces
Rate ofEskiehir
Rate ofCountry
Appendix
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The IUP Journal of Architecture, Vol. IV, No. 1, 201282
Reference # 71J-2012-02-05-01
Appendix (Cont.)
Table A2: Number of Performances and Audiences of Cultural
Facilitiesin Eskiehir
Strategic Aim Culture for All
PerformanceGoal
City theaterand thesymphonyorchestra oftheactivities tobe
carriedout
PerformanceIndicator
Number ofparticipants tocreative dramatrainings
Number oftheater shows
Number oforchestraconcerts
Number oftheateraudiences
Number ofaudiences toorchestraconcerts
Realizationin 2006
40
220
60
63.897
36.103
Realizationin 2007
40
248
68
61.316
37.936
Realizationin 2008
40
228
60
76219
36.150
Realizationin 2009
250
228
65
65.101
34.500
Source: Directorship of Eski ehir City Opera (2010)
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