Branding policies of local governments in Turkey in the circumtances of neoli̇beralism's competitive urbanization

Through the process of neoliberal globalization, cities have become the nexus for flexible production and capital accumulation. As a result of the dissolution of the nation state and the technological development, cities form the dynamic structures of the global network system. To gain a place in the global network system, in which they are hierarchically ranked, cities must be competitive and entrepreneurial local units. Successful local governments in the global level competition follow policies for branding by making the elements of urban identity and image a marketing object. This is an effort to be part of the global network system. There is an unequal distribution of capital between the cities of the center and the periphery. To prevent this there has been a restructuring of the state apparatuses in the peripheral countries in a way that will attract capital. Local policies have also been developed with an effort to integrate them into the urban hierarchy. We examine the creative destruction caused by neoliberalism in cities, the competition between cities on a global scale, urban hierarchy and entrepreneurship, and branding concepts. It is aimed to determine the reasons behind local government's marketing. This study aims to classify branding strategies that cities in Turkey, which is a peripheral and relatively new capitalist country, utilize to be part of the urban competition hierarchy. Within the scope of the thesis, urban branding practices of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Gaziantep, Malatya, Ordu and Kars were examined. Keywords: Neoliberalism, Globalization, Urban Hierarchy, Urban Competitiveness, City Branding, Local Government