The Role of Good Governance in Urban Branding: A Case Study of Shandiz

Introduction The existence of a good management system can influence the formation of an appropriate brand for the city, which depends on good urban governance. The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of good urban governance in branding of Shandiz. Today's brand-building is rapidly becoming the apex of management and marketing efforts (Williams, Gill, & Chura, 2004). Brands not only differentiate products and evaluate a contract, but they also inspire beliefs, invoke feelings, and trigger activities that are the main goals of target management organizations. In addition to attracting tourists, a strong brand also attracts traders and investors (Kotler, Haider, & Rein, 1994). One of the factors that can play a key role in shaping a brand in the city is good urban governance. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to investigate the role of good urban governance in branding of Shandiz, and it tries to produce and collect the required information.
Methodology This research is of an applied-development type. According to the nature of the subject and the components studied, the approach of this survey is quantitative using a questionnaire. Then, the field information required for this research was collected by designing a questionnaire and distributing it among the residents and tourists of Shandiz. The data were analyzed using descriptive-inferential statistics and applying SPSS and Excel softwares. The statistical population of this study includes the population of Shandiz in 2016, and 2018 people as well as 3,0154 tourists entering the city in 2016 form the total population which is 44141 people. The sample size was chosen based on the Cochran formula from among 380 people who were available.
Results The results of the field studies indicate that the current status of urban governance among the citizens of Shandiz is not acceptable and has a score of 2.15, which is not desirable. Also, based on the results of field calculations, the status of urban governance among the citizens of Shandiz has been lower than the average and has a score of 2.15, which is not in a desirable condition. The results of the hypothesis test showed that the level of good governance indicators among the citizens of Shandiz is lower than the average. In explaining this, one can say that the average level of good urban governance indicators is 2.17, which indicates the unfavorable condition of these indicators in the urban areas of Shandiz. As a result, the first hypothesis was confirmed. It was also found that the level of urban image index and urban brand among the citizens of Shandiz is lower than average. The explanation is that the average level of urban image and urban brand index is 2.25, which indicates the unfavorable condition of these indicators in Shandiz. As a result, the second hypothesis was rejected, and finally, Spearman's correlation test between good urban governance and the mental image of the citizens showed a correlation with the value of 0.578% 74, and it can be said that the third hypothesis was confirmed.
Conclusion In general, the calculations indicate that if good governance indicators in Shandiz are realized, this can have a great impact on the citizen's mental image, and this potential can easily be used to branding the city of Shandiz. In general, the results of this study have been consistent with the results of Razavizadeh's (2016) research, who studies the impact of good urban governance on the quality of urban life (i.e., Marand city). The results indicated that good urban governance had a positive and significant effect on the quality of urban life (subjective dimension) and the quality of urban environment (objective dimension). Also, according to the results of a study done by Mosulpour and DavarPanah (2016), good urban governance had an impact on achieving sustainable development (a case study in Ardabil city). The results indicated that the governing indicators in the city of Ardabil were relatively average. Accordingly, it is suggested that desirable and suitable places for walking in different parts of the city center, suitable hobby areas as well as suitable places for children and families in different parts of the city, and various exhibitions and festivals of products, industries, food, culture, literature, and local music be created to provide a unique image in the minds of tourists in order to illustrate the culture, and customs of the city of Shandiz. The good urban governance index is in a bad situation. Considering the low willingness of citizens to participate in urban management, it is suggested that the municipality and city council create local councils in the urban areas of Shandiz to provide the ground for the participation of interested and informed localities in the city administration. This can be achieved by identifying people in public places such as mosques, parks, and so on. Interested and informed people can be identified by interviews and questionnaires. In this regard, the municipality and city council can also help students and academic forces.