Regeneration - Urban and Rural Rebranding

What Is Rebranding:
  • Regeneration includes many areas such as infrastructure, economic regeneration, and migration.
  • For regeneration that tries to improve the perception of a place, this can be called ‘rebranding’.
  • Rebranding aims to improve the image of an area (reimaging) and therefore attract more positive key players.
  • There are many methods which can be categorised such as: Housing, education, infrastructure, attractions, culture and sport.
Rebranding As A Catalyst:
  • A catalyst improves the speed and effectiveness of a change.
  • Rebranding hopes to act as the catalyst to improve an area such as income, deprivation, health, residents etc.
  • Each rebranding strategy can act as a catalyst to target different groups e.g. health-centres, Marketplace for consumers, Interchange for local businesses
  • Ideally, a multiplier effect should be created.
The Need For Rebranding In Rural Places:
Problems In Rural Areas:
  • The countryside ‘perception can be that it is boring and undeveloped
  • Lack of industry and employment
  • Young professionals often move to the towns
  • Depopulation – rural areas often dominated by young and elderly
  • Leads to decline in money in the countryside
  • Less taxes and less consumers
  • Services suffer and shops close
Rural Rebranding Strategies:
  1. Specialist food products with local identity e.g Devon Cream
  2. Food towns and specialist markets e.g Ludlow
  3. Off-Farm Diversification e.g woodland developments such as paintballing
  4. Farming organic crops or growing herbs for use in food, cosmetics and drink industries
  5. Development of rural energy e.g local hydroelectric schemes
  6. Rural heritage and tourism
  7. Arts and media projects
  8. On farm tourism strategies e.g fishing, riding centres.
  9. Rural industry such as specialist furniture, jewellery, high tech web design.
  10. Valorisation: Adding value by sustainable improved use of a previously underused local resource
Off-Farm Diversification In More Detail:
  • New or non-agricultural enterprises to increase income
  • 40% farm income UK now from diversification!
Rural Rebranding Case Study: Grizedale Forest, Southern Cumbria:
  • Forestry Commission are a key player
  • Builds on what is already there such as the forest
  • Brings in £18 million a year to the local area
  • Some argue that the area is still dominated by seasonal summer visitors
  • Farmers diversification
  • GoApe – adventure capital activity is business key player
  • ‘North Face’ mountain bike trails to increase tourism
Managing Rural Rebranding:
  • Rural food markets e.g Hawkshead local food shops
  • Farm diversification e.g Smithills /Hawkshead camping
  • Heritage tourism e.g Grizedale tree art
  • Sport & Excitement activities e.g GoApe & Mountain biking at Grizedale
How To Assess & Measure Auccess Of Rural Rebranding:
  • Primary survey techniques
  • Questionnaire surveys
  • Facilities/shopping surveys
  • Bipolar or quality surveys
  • Usage/numbers surveys
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