Assessing the contribution of flagship projects to city image change: a quasi-experimental technique

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify a simple technique that can be used to indicate whether flagship urban projects contribute to city image change. The quasi-experiment outlined is grounded in established marketing efficacy measures and involves establishing the relationship between awareness levels of projects and image change. After an explanation of the proposed technique, it is applied to projects in Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield to demonstrate its potential value. Despite raising some concerns, the paper concludes that the technique provides a useful indicator of the effects of flagship projects, particularly when longitudinal research is not possible.