Urban atmospheres as brandscapes and lived experiences

In recent years the concept of urban atmosphere seems 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 paper discusses what we can learn from this rapid expansion. What happens when the elusive phenomenon of atmospheres becomes part of planning and performance in new and old cities? Atmospheres are difficult to pre-fabricate, to sustain or control. Drawing on an ongoing research project on the making and un-making of urban atmospheres I will discuss different approaches to the study of such sensory landscape. I track the travels of the concept of atmosphere both in 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