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Place branding strategies in the context of new smart cities: Songdo IBD, Masdar and Skolkovo

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Olga Kolotouchkina at Complutense University of Madrid
Olga Kolotouchkina
Gildo Seisdedos
Gildo Seisdedos
Gildo Seisdedos
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Abstract

The expanding networks of information and communication technology (ICT) enabling the connection of places, people and objects shape the reality of urban development nowadays. Although the spread of digitally led urban innovations remains uneven around the world, some places have started a progressive transition towards smart city format. Two dimensions are usually highlighted among the main features of smart urban development. The reliance on the intensive use of ICT to address the most challenging issues of urban planning is emphasised from a technological perspective. On the other hand, a more holistic scenario enhances citizens’ inventiveness, collective intelligence and knowledge-based urban development. The impact of ICT on urban development and representation is particularly remarkable when an entire new city is built following a smart city approach. Three relevant examples would be Songdo International Business District (Songdo IBD) City in South Korea, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi and Skolkovo City in Russian Federation, built to challenge the status quo of urban dynamics. Through a case study approach, this paper explores the most salient features of the place branding strategy of these new smart cities, focussed on creating an exclusive and technology-led business innovation ecosystem for highly skilled residents.
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Place branding strategies in the context of new smart cities:
Songdo IBD, Masdar and Skolkovo
Olga Kolotouchkina
1
•Gildo Seisdedos
2
Revised: 19 July 2017 / Published online: 1 November 2017
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2017
Abstract The expanding networks of information and
communication technology (ICT) enabling the connection
of places, people and objects shape the reality of urban
development nowadays. Although the spread of digitally
led urban innovations remains uneven around the world,
some places have started a progressive transition towards
smart city format. Two dimensions are usually highlighted
among the main features of smart urban development. The
reliance on the intensive use of ICT to address the most
challenging issues of urban planning is emphasised from a
technological perspective. On the other hand, a more
holistic scenario enhances citizens’ inventiveness, collec-
tive intelligence and knowledge-based urban development.
The impact of ICT on urban development and representa-
tion is particularly remarkable when an entire new city is
built following a smart city approach. Three relevant
examples would be Songdo International Business District
(Songdo IBD) City in South Korea, Masdar City in Abu
Dhabi and Skolkovo City in Russian Federation, built to
challenge the status quo of urban dynamics. Through a case
study approach, this paper explores the most salient fea-
tures of the place branding strategy of these new smart
cities, focussed on creating an exclusive and technology-
led business innovation ecosystem for highly skilled
residents.
Keywords Place branding Smart city Songdo IBD
Masdar Skolkovo
Introduction: new smart cityscapes
In recent years, the smart city concept has gained
increasing relevance among scholars, urban planners and
policy-makers. The expanding networks of information and
communication technology (ICT) along with the dizzying
spread of ubiquitous computing, enabling the connection of
places, people and objects, shape the reality of urban
development (Castells 1996; Sassen 2011). Digital flows of
content and data permeate urban spaces, providing inno-
vative solutions for their sustainable and balanced devel-
opment as well as unleashing new social dynamics and
place narratives (Koeck and Warnaby 2015). Although the
spread of digitally led urban innovations remains uneven
around the world, a number of cities have started a pro-
gressive transition to smart city format (Monitor Deloitte
2015). The traditional concept of urbanism and physical
space is moving into a new dimension of virtual and digital
representation (Blume and Langenbrick 2004). The sig-
nificance of this enveloping digital realm for the cityscape
is increasingly compared with the impact and conse-
quences produced by the Industrial Revolution (Picon
2015; Townsend 2013; Rifkin 2011).
Among the main features of a smart city, scholars and
practitioners highlight two main dimensions. Within the
technological perspective, the reliance on the intensive use
of ICT to address the most challenging issues of urban
planning and development is receiving increasing attention
&Olga Kolotouchkina
olga.kolotouchkina@ceu.es
Gildo Seisdedos
Gildo.Seisdedos@ie.edu
1
Faculty of Humanities and Communication Sciences,
Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Paseo de
Juan XXIII, 6, 28040 Madrid, Spain
2
IE Business School, Marı
´a de Molina 12, 5 f, 28006 Madrid,
Spain
Place Brand Public Dipl (2018) 14:115–124
DOI 10.1057/s41254-017-0078-2
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
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... Cisco developed a video series showcasing Songdo as a futuristic city, while Kohn Pederson Fox detailed the urban master plan. City developers engaged with global audiences via social networks, sharing content focused on Songdo's lifestyle and social events (Kolotouchkina & Seisdedos, 2018). ...
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