Potential of Youth Participation in Local Territory Branding Management

Abstract

The purpose of this article is an attempt to determine the main characteristics of the potential for youth participation in branding of territory for the implementation of a scientific approach to branding of cities with the participation of residents in different countries. This is the first article that relatively approaches the issue of youth participation in branding of places and takes into account different experiences of countries. The results of a survey of young people in several cities in Poland, Romania, Armenia, Russia were used to develop a model of the potential for youth participation in territory branding on the basis of two scales – attractiveness of the territory and willingness of youth to participate in promoting settlements of their residence. Cross-country differences in the representation of various youth groups were identified in terms of their potential for participating in the branding of local territories. The model can be used as a basis for the development of urban programs for involving youth in territory branding. These programs do not differ significantly across countries and cities. However, the model can be used at the first stage of the development of such programs to highlight the specifics of each territory based on an assessment of the potential according to the research presented in the article.