Abstract:

The purpose of the article is to examine whether and to what extent the location by the river is an important factor of city branding. The article consists of the theoretical part, which uses the critical analysis of the scientific literature on both the river’s socio-economic potential and its role in city branding, and the practical part, which uses the case study method and quantitative research, namely a survey among residents of two selected cities, Prague and Wroclaw.

The main results of the conducted research concern the scope, tools, and methods of using the potential of the river in city branding. The conducted case study and results of the survey showed that both in Prague and Wroclaw the river is an important factor of city branding, but it is not yet used to its full potential. The obtained results complement knowledge in the area of management sciences and spatial economy with detailed conclusions regarding the role of the river in city branding.

The conducted analysis is a preliminary examination. Its limitations are primarily related to the limited research sample. In the future, such limitations might be overcome by the extension of the research sample. The results of the research constitute a set of good practices for cites authorities in the field of city branding.  Presented research is a very first attempt to describe the potential of the river in city branding.