A new encyclopedia on city and place branding has arrived, and this is one of those rare moments when a book feels heavy not only in physical terms, but also in meaning. Edited by Eduardo Oliveira,Efe Sevin and Emma Björner, the volume brings together nearly 150 leading scholars and practitioners to map how places are understood, shaped and communicated today.
Reports Olga Rauhut Kompaniets, TPBO’s Associate Editor, Research.
For me, this book carries a particular sense of joy. I have followed the project almost from the beginning – at least from the moment I was invited to contribute. In October 2023, while we were organising the 7th IPBA Conference in Helsingborg, Sweden, the editors reached out to ask whether they could host a roundtable session dedicated to the Encyclopedia.
Of course, the answer was yes. And what a session it was. Open, exploratory and forward-looking, it sparked conversations about theory, practice and the future direction of the field. In hindsight, that roundtable reflected precisely what the Encyclopedia would become: not a closed canon, but an open conversation.
How did this ambitious project come about – and what insights does it offer? I spoke to the editors shortly after its publication.
What motivated you to embark on this Encyclopedia?
One of the clearest motivations, as Efe explains, was the lack of accessible entry points into the field: “Place branding has established itself as a reputable field of study. When someone wants to enter the field, it is virtually impossible to direct them to a single resource.”
The Encyclopedia responds directly to this gap. Rather than replacing seminal works, it complements them by making key ideas more approachable. As Efe notes, many leading scholars and practitioners were invited to “describe their work in a more accessible way”, creating what he hopes is a genuine starting point for anyone interested in city and place branding.
For Emma, accessibility was closely tied to values: “My motivation stemmed from a desire to help create a resource that is both accessible and comprehensive – especially in ways that connect place branding to sustainability, inclusion and strategic development.”
Eduardo frames the project in broader disciplinary terms: “We aimed to provide a comprehensive resource that captures the interdisciplinary nature of place branding, bridging academic and practical perspectives.”
How did you decide which topics and themes to include?
Deciding what to include – and inevitably what to leave out – was one of the editors’ greatest challenges. The solution lay in combining structure with openness. The team established core themes such as sustainability, governance, politics, culture, communication and bottom-up approaches, while also leaving space for open calls and emerging topics.
As Eduardo candidly notes: “Although we have achieved our objectives, there is certainly more work to be done – particularly beyond urban areas and Western societies.”
That honesty is refreshing. Rather than claiming completeness, the editors frame the Encyclopedia as foundational: a platform for further debate and development.
How did you coordinate editorial roles and ensure coherence?
With three editors working across countries and disciplines, coherence could easily have become a challenge. Instead, it became a strength.
Emma describes the process as genuinely collaborative: “It was a truly collaborative and enjoyable process … we had a shared vision and complementary strengths.”
Efe credits Eduardo’s leadership for guiding the project with clarity and trust, while Eduardo emphasises their shared experience as editors and authors – experience that made managing such a large volume not only possible, but efficient.
The outcome is coherence without uniformity – a rare but important balance for an encyclopedia.
How would you like readers to describe this book to others?
Asked to summarise the Encyclopedia in a single sentence, the editors offer distinctly different, yet complementary, responses.
Efe hopes scholars will say: “Now I have five more research project ideas!”, and practitioners: “I can implement this idea at work this week.”
Emma sees a more reflective response: “I hope they say the book opened their eyes to how places are shaped emotionally, culturally and strategically.”
Eduardo’s hopes focus on learning: “I would love to learn how the Encyclopedia helped students deep-dive into the field and expand their understanding.”
What surprised you most during the process?
All three editors point to the same thing: generosity – reinforcing the sense of place branding as a collaborative rather than competitive field.
Emma reflects: “The generosity and dedication of contributors from around the world was heartwarming.”
Efe echoes this sentiment: “How generous our authors have been with their time and work. Without their contributions, there would not have been an Encyclopedia.”
Eduardo highlights the broader impact: “The willingness of contributors to share diverse insights, perspectives and case studies greatly enriched the project and showcased the field’s global reach.”
Looking ahead: what changes do you anticipate in place branding?
Despite their different perspectives, the editors converge on several key shifts:
- a growing influence of AI and digitalisation
- a stronger emphasis on values, sustainability and inclusion
- an expanding role of politics, soft power and governance
- an increased focus beyond cities, including less urbanised and rural areas
- deeper connections to spatial planning and territorial governance
These are not speculative trends; they are already visible today. As Eduardo reflects, stronger links between place branding, spatial planning and territorial governance remain underexplored – yet the field is now better equipped than ever to address them.
A final reflection
As a contributor to this volume, I see the Encyclopedia as both a milestone and an invitation.
A milestone for a field that has matured.
An invitation to continue questioning, expanding and co-creating knowledge about places.
If you teach, research or practice place branding, or if you simply care about how places tell their stories — this is a book worth reading, using and returning to.
Olga Rauhut Kompaniets serves as Associate Editor Research for The Place Brand Observer. Based in Sweden, Olga is a researcher and educator specialising in place marketing and branding, with a focus on sustainable development and stakeholder engagement. She is Senior Lecturer in Business Administration at Halmstad University, where she leads the master’s programme in Responsible Global Marketing.
More about the encyclopedia here
