Place-Branding and the Public Realm: a Typological Study of Public Spaces at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

As cities worldwide compete to attract human resources and investment, Place Branding has emerged as a key urban development strategy. With the growing importance of tourism as a basis for building and diversifying the economy, Place Branding has played an instrumental role in marking a place as a destination. Creating and promoting the quality of place, lifestyle and availability of opportunities are regarded as critical measures when publicising the competitive advantage of a place. This research examines the nature of the public realm which is shaped primarily by Place Branding forces in the context of the Yas Island development in Abu Dhabi. The Yas Island, which gained international attention as the venue for the Formula One races in 2009 is also home to several notable attractions such as the Yas Waterworld, Yas Ferrari World and Yas Mall with still others in the pipeline. The research attempts to identify emerging public space typologies in branded environments such as that of Yas Island. A mixed-method qualitative approach is used to understand the context of the study area, followed by detailed analysis of smaller units of study. A framework for typological analysis of public spaces is proposed in order to discuss both the place characteristics and the network characteristics. In the final section, the paper discusses the need for greater awareness of emerging typologies and reports on findings which highlight areas for improvements in typological characteristics.