Place branding and endogenous rural development. Departure points for developing an inner brand of the River Minho estuary

Abstract

Place branding holds a promising contribution to sustainable territorial development and requires changes in the social organisation of places, which implies complex transitional processes towards new management regimes. This article explores place branding of the River Minho estuary in the borderland of Portugal and Spain. It deals with the tension between creating a brand, enhancing market development and sustainable (endogenous) development. The central question is: ‘How to develop a successful inner brand in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’. In the case study, area rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions represent contrasting viewpoints on innovation, ecosystem coordination and economic progress, viewpoints that point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of a common strategic vision or connective storyline. This article provides a ‘tool’ for sustainable development in this vulnerable estuary and contributes to our understanding of how place branding – as a means to create place distinctiveness and attractiveness – can be combined with an endogenous approach in vulnerable peripheral areas. Such an approach fits with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and an increasing focus on place-based development.