The Role of Residents in the Urban Brand Formation

The article examines the role of visual identity and the role of residents as consumers and producers in the creation of the urban brand. Modern urbanization leads to the unification of the urban environment, it loses its authenticity, residents lose contact with their homeland. The traditional approach to branding territories focuses on tourists and ignores the role of residents. Local people are the key bearers and creators of identity. This reduces the population link to the territory, increases the outflow of people from small towns and hinders a stable development of regions. Purpose: The study aims at analyzing the role of residents in the formation of urban brands. The need for their involvement is substantiated by the processes of creating the visual identity of the territory to strengthen the connection with the place and improve the quality of the urban environment. Methodology : The analysis of the Russian and foreign experience in branding, including online surveys, focus groups, public discussions. Branding implementation and the impact of visual patterns on the perception of the city by residents are studied. Research findings : It is shown that projects that consider the opinion of residents increase satisfaction with the urban environment, strengthen regional identity and contribute to economic growth. The examples of Barcelona, Stockholm and Russian cities demonstrate that the population involvement at early stages of brand development reduces the risk of its rejection. On the contrary, top-down implementation, without considering local characteristics, leads to the unification of the environment and a negative assessment by the population. Research implications: A successful urban branding requires the integration of cultural heritage, residents' voices, and visual identity. This approach helps to preserve authenticity, improve the quality of life and reduce migration outflow. Value: Key recommendations include the use of sociological methods (surveys, focus groups), dialogue between the authorities, designers and the community, brand translation through the elements of the urban environment (architecture, landscaping).