Urban identity as a sense and spur of development

Abstract

The article elaborates the issue of urban identity as an important factor for raising urban attractiveness and spurring urban development in general. The elements of urban identity, such as the nature, culture and economy, are emphasized as basic and dominant, but their harmonization is crucial for achieving the objective of urban sustainability. The governance has the most important role in harmonizing the three elements by defining and implementing an integrated strategy, with all the challenges in transitional societies where administration is challenged with financial temptations of emerging free market and private investments. The public goods, cultural and natural heritage and assets are being threatened by private interventions thus endangering urban identity and its potentials for the future. The specific case is with big cities where multifarious identity is expected in particular city areas, with their geography, history and human activities, and prudent strategies are indispensable to identify specificities and orient urban development in proper directions. Careful coordination of social, cultural, environmental and economic facets asks for smart governance if big city is expected to succeed and sustain in terms of development. The article elaborates the issue of human perceiving the identity, its dynamics and changes due to changes in a value system, as well as the relation between urban identity and urban economy. The final consequence of harmonized elements making urban identity is sustainability of towns and cities.