The role of cities in economic development and the challenges of territorial marketing and place branding

The role of cities in economic development is central both because the innovative processes are naturally favored by the urban environment and because the city intercepts and stimulates a growing demand for new goods and services related to the emerging needs of quality of life, cultural and social relationships, environmental healthiness, entertainment and fun. In these dynamics new players become central, also linked to civil society and not only to government, companies and research structures. Hence the need for new forms of urban governance capable of integrating the legitimate different interests of stakeholders, safeguarding sustainability in its various dimensions, economic, social and environmental. The role of place marketing and branding becomes strategic because it fosters the meeting of urban supply and demand and can reinforce the sense of belonging and the territorial identity of the people.