Editorial

Citation

Parker, C., Byrom, J., Roberts, G. and Quin, S. (2012), "Editorial", Journal of Place Management and Development, Vol. 5 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpmd.2012.35505baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Place Management and Development, Volume 5, Issue 2

Welcome to Issue 2 Vol. 5 of the Journal of Place Management and Development. We celebrate our fifth birthday with another international and interdisciplinary edition, with papers from the USA, Australia, Israel, Iran and Hong Kong which integrate theory from business and management, economic development and policy, geography, psychology, sociology, knowledge management and planning.

The JPMD continues to grow in terms of its readership, coverage and the number of papers submitted for review. Our aim has always been to become a focus for the review and development of theory that underpins the practical process of “making places better,” but in practice it is not easy to meet the different expectations of our academic and practitioner audiences. So, from next year we will have a separate “Place in practice” section, within the journal, to make it easier for our different readers to navigate around the content whilst encouraging a variety of contributions. This will ensure we continue to facilitate developments in place management, both practically and conceptually.

In addition, we are delighted that in partnership with INPOLIS in Berlin, we are combining the 3rd International Place Branding Conference with the 2nd International Place Management Conference. This will take place in Manchester (UK) on the 13-16 February 2013, in Manchester Metropolitan University’s brand new business school. We send out a special invitation to the authors, readers, reviewers and Editorial Board of the JPMD to join us, in person, to debate “the business of place” and you will find more details at web site: http://tinyurl.com/ipmconf. We very much hope that contributions to the conference will be as representative of the geographical diversity, subject coverage and multiple methods of place management research as the contributions in this issue are.

Our first paper by Jay Sang Ryu (Texas State University) and Jane Swinney (Oklahoma State University) develops the popular theme of place branding but from the perspective of existing business owners in a downtown area. Drawing from the conceptual framework of internal branding in organisations, Ryu and Swinney develop a number of hypotheses that test the relationship between perceived positive downtown branding on the performance of the downtown and its businesses. The findings demonstrate that there is a relationship, and that positive perceptions of a downtown were associated with commitment and performance (of both the downtown and the individual business). The paper also draws attention to the role of internal communication, community citizenship and regular meetings between stakeholders as important elements of place branding in practice.

Our next paper takes a different perspective on place development. Rodney Jensen of the University of New South Wales, considers how governments have set about supporting the film and television industry. Jensen shows how governments at a range of different levels and in various national contexts have looked to present themselves as “film friendly”. The visual entertainment industry has the potential to aid economically those locations it chooses to concentrate production in; but as the paper illustrates, a variety of factors can help or hinder film and television production.

Following this, Shaked Gilboa (Ruppin Academic Center) and Ram Herstein (Lander Institute Jerusalem) explore issues surrounding place status and loyalty. They consider how individuals’ perceptions of their own neighbourhoods affect their loyalty to the location. Respondents were asked to rate their neighbourhood as “prestigious” or “ordinary”, with differences in happiness and self-esteem amongst respondents then considered. Interestingly, those living in locations perceived as prestigious were more likely to have higher levels of loyalty, happiness and self-esteem than those in neighbourhoods perceived by respondents as ordinary.

In our next paper, Abbas Monavvarian, Mohanmmad Mosakhani and Mahdie Akbari (University of Tehran) look at the process required to transform Tehran, capital city of Iran, into a “Knowledge City” – a concept that results from combining knowledge management and knowledge-based development theory. Through examining the contributing factors identified as necessary for achieving Knowledge City status, Monavvarian categorises results into three areas; general success factors, key success factors and critical success factors. Through statistical analysis, the relevance of these factors is calculated. Monavvarian’s research outlines a lack of competency in Tehran and therefore much work is required by the authorities, particularly in the areas of cultural environment and financial commitment, if Knowledge City status is to be attained.

In our final paper, Ying Deng and S.W. Poon, both from The University of Hong Kong, investigate mega-event led renewals (MELRs) and, in particular, the case of Shanghai Expo 2010 and the development of the Huangpu Riverfronts. The paper briefly evaluates six other MELRs, from Expo 1962 in Seattle and includes sporting MELRs such as the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The review documents a rather chequered history in terms of their legacy, identifying clients, challenges and capabilities as the three main components that explain success or failure, with over-ambitious clients; challenging locations and inexperience being associated with the latter. The paper continues by examining the case of Shanghai in order to identify, along with the information from the other mini-cases, three factors associated with success. These are identified as having a compelling theme; a concrete plan and a phased strategy to keep momentum while allowing for future adaptation. In other words, a vision, a plan and an appreciation for the organic nature of change in places.

All the papers in this issue continue to build our understanding of what works (and what does not) in terms of place management and development. We trust you enjoy the issue and we very much hope to see you in Manchester in February.

Cathy Parker, John Byrom, Gareth Roberts, Simon Quin