In Kyrgyzstan, as in many other countries, the city branding relevance - creating a recognisable image to attract investment and tourists and improve the population's life quality - is growing. However, unlike Europe and America, where territory positioning has been practised for 80 years, Kyrgyzstan is just beginning to feel the need for it. Urban experts Emil Nasritdinov, Stanislav Dalidchik and Konstantin Garanin talked about the image of Kyrgyz cities and the mistakes we make.

CITY BRAND: NOT JUST A PICTURE

Many people mistakenly believe a city's brand is just a beautiful logo or a historical reference. A brand is a powerful and multifunctional tool that helps to solve key tasks facing the city. Expert Konstantin Garanin emphasises that it is more than an outer shell.

"It is a comprehensive strategy that helps the city find its unique place in the urban market. The brand answers the question ‘Why is it worth coming here - to live, to work, to invest, to holiday?’" - he says.

According to him, creating a brand is not a one-time action, but a long-term project that determines the city's development for many years to come.

"A strong city brand becomes a magnet that attracts investments, tourists and talented people. If the brand is not particularly cool, then cool specialists will not come to the city, and on the contrary, promising young people will leave it. As a result, the city will lose hope for development,’ Garanin added.

CHALLENGES FOR BRANDING DEVELOPMENT IN KYRGYZSTAN

Despite the obvious importance of territorial branding, certain obstacles slow its development in Kyrgyzstan. Garanin notes that many participants in this process are limited to short-term, year-long planning, which prevents the creation of a long-term strategy for cities.

"As a result, branding is often reduced to a set of disparate projects rather than a unified development concept. Decisions are often made ‘from above’, without the citizens' involvement. In such conditions, the brand becomes artificial and does not reflect the city's true identity. Often objects are built only for tourists. For example, Austrian cities are popular not because ski resorts are built for tourists, but because the locals ski there and attract tourists,’ he continued.

Moreover, Kyrgyz cities are still poorly represented in the international arena. The lack of an effective marketing strategy prevents the advantages and opportunities of Kyrgyz cities from being communicated to potential investors, tourists and talented people.

OSH: AN EXAMPLE OF A LOST IDENTITY

Osh is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, famous for its unique cultural heritage and inimitable atmosphere. However, attempts to develop the city have not always accounted for its historical identity preservation, which has led to serious losses.

Expert Emil Nasritdinov cites the Osh-3000 project launched in the late 1990s as an example. This project aimed to make Osh a symbol of the region's antiquity and cultural heritage, to draw attention to its significant historical monuments. The project received substantial funding, but despite this, it failed to preserve the city's true spirit. Instead of focusing on maintaining the vibrant way of life that made Osh unique, attention was given only to external changes.

Many historic buildings were demolished and the central bazaar, which used to be the centre of city life, was replaced by rows of metal containers. Osh lost its unique atmosphere, losing its attractiveness for both tourists and locals. Instead of an urban space full of historical depth, residents and visitors faced a faceless urban landscape that had lost its sense of eternity.

However, the expert notes that another important factor is the ability to keep a balance between historical heritage and the introduction of new technologies, including artificial intelligence. There are already successful examples of this approach in Kyrgyzstan, but not many - Ololo, the Nomad Games and the Create4 festival.

WHAT SHOULD KYRGYZ CITIES DO?

Experts put forward several recommendations that can significantly improve city branding in Kyrgyzstan.

"First of all, it is necessary to move to long-term planning covering 50-100 years and abandon short-term solutions. This transformation requires a change in the perception of all participants in the process - from the authorities to the population. Participants must learn to see not only immediate benefits but also long-term consequences of their actions, which will help to generate a sustainable future for the city,' Konstantin Gagarin emphasises.

Stanislav Dalidchik believes it is extremely essential to undertake in-depth studies of the urban environment, cultural heritage and unique features of each city. This will help to identify competitive advantages and form a unique narrative that will become the basis for an effective branding strategy.

"The brand should become an integral part of the city's strategic development plans. This will ensure consistency and a unified approach to development that accounts for all aspects of branding,’ Dalidchik adds.

Finally, it is necessary to establish platforms for dialogue between the authorities, business and population on branding issues. According to Gagarin, these can be specialised web platforms, forums, conferences and other formats of interaction, which will ensure the involvement of all stakeholders in the creating and developing of the city brand process.

The answer to the question ‘Who should be involved in city branding?’ is ambiguous. Ideally, branding should be the result of joint efforts of the authorities, business and population. However, experts note the key role of city-forming enterprises and municipalities in the branding process initiation and implementation. At the same time, the brand should not be imposed ‘from above’, but should be built based on respect for the historical heritage, residents' cultural traditions and desires. Only in this case, the brand can become a real tool for attracting investments, tourists, talented people and improving the population's quality of life.