Speakers
Description
Sport’s role in city branding historically focused on large-scale event hosting such as the Olympic Games and the World Cup. While such mega sporting events are increasingly linked to legacy effects on host cities, there is a lack of recognition for recreational and daily physical activity which impacts a sense of belonging, social integration, and community cohesion in hosts. Residents and local communities are important internal stakeholders when it comes to envisioning a city’s brand since they live, experience, and embody the city daily. The participation of local communities is increasingly highlighted in place branding literature with co-created city brands resonating collective experiences and promoting shared values.
To understand the opportunity of more increased local community engagement in mid-size city branding, this paper examines Ottawa city officials’ and residents’ perceptions of participatory city branding, with an emphasis on community sport and recreational leisure activities. Based on the integration of binary data sets in a case study, 17 interviews with officials and representatives of Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, present themes pertaining possibilities and challenges for Ottawa city branding via the use of community sport. Survey results indicate that Ottawa residents(n=127) advocate for more reflective consultation with local communities in line with the existing government-centred image-making process. This research indicates community sport can positively impact city branding, leading to greater resident participation in more collaborative governance processes.
