Urban atmospheres as brandscapes and lived experiences

In recent years the concept of urban atmosphere has seemed to appear everywhere, discussed as a marketing strategy, part of an eventscape, a crucial element in place marketing or a key feature in the production of brandscapes. An attractive city should contain settings with attractive atmosphere or ambiance. This article discusses what we can learn from this rapid expansion. What happens when the elusive phenomenon of atmospheres becomes part of planning and performance in both new and old cities? Atmospheres are difficult to prefabricate, to sustain or control. Drawing on an ongoing research project on the making and unmaking of urban atmospheres, I will discuss different approaches to the study of such sensory landscapes. I explore the travels of the concept of atmosphere in both academic research and among practitioners in city planning and branding. Two cases of intensive branding in Denmark and Sweden are followed as they are transformed over a decade of city development.