The new concept of brand urbanism, a term that not only describes the commitment of brands in the field of urban redevelopment, but which aims to represent a reality that, in the future, will be increasingly common.
Metropolis planned and protected by the investments of patrons - corporate gigantic in size, and which they will especially help to achieve new spaces at the service of the communities: art, design, urban life and wide-ranging realities, capable of expanding together with the great metropolises of the future.
As evidenced by a report produced by FutureBrand, brand design, strategy and development agency, the presence of brands at an urban and local level will only strengthen in the coming years.
“Life in cities is changing and with it the role of brands. According to the UN, by 2050, 75% of the world's population will live in large urban areas, having a annual growth of 60 million inhabitants. Cities are changing, assuming more varied identities and experimenting with a great variety of new practices: from the real estate sector to catering, from the labor market to leisure time”, he explains Francis Buschi, Head of Strategy by FutureBrand. "The number of Brand Urbanism projects is growing not only abroad, but also in our country, demonstrating the new role assumed by brands in society".
The renovation of a former industrial district of Milan by Fondazione Prada it is a concrete example of brand urbanism, exactly like The Bentway, a public space below the Gardener Expressway a Toronto, the basketball court Duperre made by Nike in France, the installations created by Louis Vuitton in honor of the designer Yayoi Kusama a Paris, or like the project Solar Graffiti di Mexico City, funded by the French energy company Mexico Engie.
“Brands become active promoters of these transformations, dressing spaces, but also inspiring their functionality, moving from a high and committed brand purpose to more concrete operations, capable of proposing tangible brand experiences. Change the paradigm; the neighborhoods of the city are no longer segmented by census and social class, but are divided by attitudes or interests”, concludes Francesco Buschi. “[…] It thus happens that to the traditional iconic places where big brands show off such as, for example, Times Square in New York, Shibuya in Tokyo or Piccadilly Circus in London, just to name a few, projects of other nature, capable of revitalize often forgotten areas of the city”.
