City image and city brand: A cultural analysis through the lens of public art
Abstract
The modern city is a sociocultural system where the image is shaped by residents’ and visitors’ perceptions, while the image is strategically constructed through cultural policy and branding. Public art acts as a mediator, linking internal cultural codes and urban identity with external representations.
Purpose. The aim of the study is to identify the mechanisms linking the image and the brand of the city through the artistic practices of public art and to refine the criteria for its analysis.
Methodology. The methodological basis of the study is based on cultural and urban approaches that view the city as a space for the production of meaning. The work uses comparative analysis of urban practices (Barcelona, Yekaterinburg), interpretation of art objects based on Charles Sanders Peirce's three-level semiotic model (iconic, indexical, symbolic levels), and systematization of criteria for evaluating public art.
Results. The study revealed that public art links the city’s image and identity by connecting local codes and memory with managerial strategies. An adapted model of C. S. Peirce was applied; evaluation criteria were refined, and the E×I matrix was introduced. Case studies (Barcelona, Yekaterinburg) confirmed the effectiveness of the approach and its applicability in urban development.
Practical significance. The novelty of the study lies in the extension of existing approaches to the analysis of public art by supplementing the established criteria with the dimensions of aesthetic value and brand impact on the urban environment. The article has both theoretical and practical significance for cultural studies, urban studies, and place branding.
EDN: VVJNTE
References
Карцева, Е. А. (2022). Специфика профессиональных компетенций художников, работающих в паблик арте. Художественное образование и наука, 2(31), 6–12. https://doi.org/10.34684/hon.202202001. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/AMGCRP
Карцева, Е. А., & Звягенцева, М. Л. (2020). Паблик арт: терминологические подходы и критерии идентификации. Артикульт, 1(37), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.28995/2227 6165 2020 1 58 73. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/VYFPWR
Карцева, Е. А., & Шлыкова, О. В. (2022). Российский паблик арт: актуальные практики и тренды. Вестник Московского университета. Сер. 19. Лингвистика и межкультурная коммуникация, 1, 169–181. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/HGERLC
Кулян Козионова, М. Э., Лешкова, О. В., & Щекина, Е. Г. (2023). Город и его образ: дискурсы теоретического осмысления. Russian Studies in Culture and Society, 7(4), 42–61. https://doi.org/10.12731/2576 9782 2023 4 42 61. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/QLSMGZ
Лефевр, А. (2015). Производство пространства / пер. с фр. Москва: Strelka Press, 432. ISBN: 978 5 906264 41 1. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/TRPTCI
Линч, К. (1982). Образ города / пер. с англ. В. Л. Глазычева. Москва: Стройиздат, 328.
Лэндри, Ч. (2006). Креативный город / пер. с англ. В. Гнедовский, М. Хрусталева. Москва: Классика XXI, 399. ISBN: 5 89817 172 X. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/QOFWOX
Почему паблик арт становится мощным инструментом развития территорий [Электронный ресурс]. Получено с: https://vostokgosplan.ru/pochemu-pablik-art-stanovitsja-moshhnym-instrumentom-razvitija-territorij/ (дата обращения: 01.10.2025).
Памятник клавиатуре. Необычный арт объект в самом центре Екатеринбурга [Электронный ресурс]. В Tripster. Получено с: https://experience.tripster.ru/sights/pamyatnik-klaviature/ (дата обращения: 12.09.2025).
Суховская, Д. Н. (2016). Креативное пространство российских городских поселений и его влияние на формирование ценностных ориентаций личности (Автореф. дис. … канд. филос. наук). Краснодар: ФГКОУ ВО «Краснодарский университет МВД России», 38. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/ZPZRNT
Флорида, Р. (2014). Кто твой город? Креативная экономика и выбор места жительства / пер. с англ. Е. Лобкова. Москва: Strelka Press, 368.
Atkin, A. (2010). Icon, index, and symbol. PhilArchive. Получено с: https://philarchive.org/archive/ATKIIS
Keidar, N., & Silver, D. (2023). Mapping policy pathways: Urban referencing networks in public art policies. Urban Studies, 61(8), 1468–1487. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980231206853. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/LUOITJ
Mathews, T., & Gadaloff, S. (2022). Public art for placemaking and urban renewal: Insights from three regional Australian cities. Cities, 127, 103747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103747. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/OWBJHM
Peirce, C. S. (1867). On a new list of categories. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 7, 287–298.
Viotti Fernandes, L. F. (2019). Gaudí and the establishment of Catalan cultural identity. Academia.edu. Получено с: https://www.academia.edu/39357533/Gaudí_and_the_Establishment_of_Catalan_Cultural_Identity
Zhou, Y., Sanz Hernández, A., & Hernández Muñoz, S. M. (2024). Artistic interventions in urban renewal: Exploring the social impact and contribution of public art to sustainable urban development goals. Societies, 14(10), 204. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14100204. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/FRTQVK
Zhu, A. (2024). Immersive public art and humanistic city image building in the digital era. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences, 9(1), 2024. https://doi.org/10.2478/amns 2024 2489. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/GDSKZY
Referenses
Kartseva, E. A. (2022). Specificity of professional competencies of artists working in public art. Hudozhestvennoe Obrazovanie i Nauka, 2(31), 6–12. https://doi.org/10.34684/hon.202202001. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/AMGCRP
Kartseva, E. A., & Zvyagentseva, M. L. (2020). Public art: terminological approaches and identification criteria. Artikult, 1(37), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.28995/2227-6165-2020-1-58-73. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/VYFPWR
Kartseva, E. A., & Shlykova, O. V. (2022). Russian public art: current practices and trends. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Series 19. Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, 1, 169–181. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/HGERLC
Kulyan Kozionova, M. E., Leshkova, O. V., & Shchekina, E. G. (2023). The city and its image: discourses of theoretical understanding. Russian Studies in Culture and Society, 7(4), 42–61. https://doi.org/10.12731/2576-9782-2023-4-42-61. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/QLSMGZ
Lefebvre, A. (2015). The production of space (Transl. from French). Moscow: Strelka Press, 432 p. ISBN: 978-5-906264-41-1. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/TRPTCI
Lynch, K. (1982). The image of the city (Transl. from English by V. L. Glazychev). Moscow: Stroiizdat, 328 p.
Landry, C. (2006). The creative city (Transl. from English by V. Gnedovsky & M. Khrustaleva). Moscow: Klassika XXI, 399 p. ISBN: 5-89817-172-X. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/QOFWOX
Why public art becomes a powerful tool for territorial development [Electronic resource]. Retrieved October 1, 2025, from https://vostokgosplan.ru/pochemu-pablik-art-stanovitsja-moshhnym-instrumentom-razvitija-territorij/
Keyboard monument: an unusual art object in the heart of Yekaterinburg [Electronic resource]. In Tripster. Retrieved September 12, 2025, from https://experience.tripster.ru/sights/pamyatnik-klaviature/
Sukhovskaya, D. N. (2016). Creative space of Russian urban settlements and its influence on the formation of personal value orientations [PhD thesis abstract]. Krasnodar: Krasnodar University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, 38 p. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/ZPZRNT
Florida, R. (2014). Who’s your city? Creative economy and the choice of residence (Transl. from English by E. Lobkova). Moscow: Strelka Press, 368 p.
Atkin, A. (2010). Icon, index, and symbol. PhilArchive. Получено с: https://philarchive.org/archive/ATKIIS
Keidar, N., & Silver, D. (2023). Mapping policy pathways: Urban referencing networks in public art policies. Urban Studies, 61(8), 1468–1487. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980231206853. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/LUOITJ
Mathews, T., & Gadaloff, S. (2022). Public art for placemaking and urban renewal: Insights from three regional Australian cities. Cities, 127, 103747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103747. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/OWBJHM
Peirce, C. S. (1867). On a new list of categories. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 7, 287–298.
Viotti Fernandes, L. F. (2019). Gaudí and the establishment of Catalan cultural identity. Academia.edu. from https://www.academia.edu/39357533/Gaudí_and_the_Establishment_of_Catalan_Cultural_Identity
Zhou, Y., Sanz Hernández, A., & Hernández Muñoz, S. M. (2024). Artistic interventions in urban renewal: Exploring the social impact and contribution of public art to sustainable urban development goals. Societies, 14(10), 204. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14100204. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/FRTQVK
Zhu, A. (2024). Immersive public art and humanistic city image building in the digital era. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences, 9(1), 2024. https://doi.org/10.2478/amns 2024 2489. EDN: https://elibrary.ru/GDSKZY
Copyright (c) 2025 Maria E. Kulyan-Kozionova, Elena G. Shchekina
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
