Fudan-LSE Lecture Series No.20

THE SPEAKER

Martin de Jong is scientific director of the Erasmus Research Initiative for the Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is also full professor at Rotterdam School of Management and Erasmus School of Law, both at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is distinguished professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University. His presentation is based on 10 years of research and experience in eco city planning and development in China.

ABSTRACT

The past decade has seen a dramatic surge in the use of city branding practices by local governments around the world. Chinese cities, especially in the more developed east of the country, are no exception. They have sometimes formulated sophisticated images of themselves: city brand identities. They have also stepped up their use of a great variety of attractive city labels, such as eco cities, low carbon cities, smart cities, knowledge cities and resilient cities. These concepts reflect a desired shift from old and polluting manufacturing industries to new and clean service industries. The question remains what these city branding efforts look like in actual policy practice and how the implementation of such strategies can contribute to more sustainable urbanism.