Urban art and neighborhood-brand identity

The case of Lavapiés and its representation on Instagram

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62161/sauc.v11.5642

Keywords:

Place branding, Neighborhood branding, Urban art, Urban identity, Instagram, UGC, Lavapies

Abstract

This study examines how urban art, through UGC (User Generated Content) on Instagram, contributes to the creation of a neighborhood's place brand identity. Focusing on the Lavapiés neighborhood in Madrid (Spain), a content analysis was conducted on posts tagged with #Lavapiés. The results reveal that urban art is the most frequent theme in the posts, highlighting its primary connection with the gastronomy and the social life of the neighborhood. However, a significant disconnection between urban art and political or civic participation is observed, suggesting an assimilation of this type of art into everyday life, distancing it from its potentially subversive nature. The study concludes with a reflection on the underestimated role of institutions in shaping the place brand.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Global Statistics ℹ️

Cumulative totals since publication
25
Views
5
Downloads
30
Total
Downloads by format:
PDF (Español (España)) 4 PDF 1

References

Acuti, D., Mazzoli, V., Donvito, R., & Chan, P. (2018). An instagram content analysis for city branding in London and Florence. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 9(3), 185-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2018.1463859

Ana, M.-I., & Istudor, L.-G. (2013). The Role of Social Media and User-Generated-Content in Millennials’ Travel Behavior. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 7(1), 87-104. https://doi.org/10.25019/MDKE/7.1.05

Ashworth, G. J. (2009). The Instruments of Place Branding: How is it Done? European Spatial Research and Policy, 16(1), 9-22. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10105-009-0001-9

Ashworth, G., & Kavaratzis, M. (2009). Beyond the logo: Brand management for cities. Journal of Brand Management, 16(8), 520-531. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.bm.2550133

Austin, J. (2010). More to see than a canvas in a white cube: For an art in the streets. City, 14(1-2), 33-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/13604810903529142

Baumann, F., Lopes, M. S., & Lourenço, P. (2018). Destination image through digital photography. Instagram as a data collector for UGC analysis. E-Review of Tourism Research, 9. https://ertr-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/ertr/article/view/117

Blanché, U. (2015). Street Art and related terms. SAUC - Street Art & Urban Creativity Scientific Journal, 1(1), 32-39. https://doi.org/10.25765/SAUC.V1I1.14

Bonfigli, F. (2014). Lavapiés: Seguridad urbana, activismo politico y inmigracion en el corazon de Madrid. Sortuz: Oñati Journal of Emergent Socio-Legal Studies, 6(2), 61-77. https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/sortuz/article/view/547

Chaskin, R. J. (1997). Perspectives on Neighborhood and Community: A Review of the Literature. Social Service Review, 71(4), 521-547. https://doi.org/10.1086/604277

Chaskin, R. J. (1998). Neighborhood as a Unit of Planning and Action: A Heuristic Approach. Journal of Planning Literature, 13(1), 11-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/088541229801300102

Christensen, M., & Thor, T. (2017). The reciprocal city: Performing solidarity—Mediating space through street art and graffiti. International Communication Gazette, 79(6-7), 584-612. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048517727183

Cócola-Gant, A. (2016). Holiday Rentals: The New Gentrification Battlefront. Sociological Research Online, 21(3), 112-120. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.4071

Cocola-Gant, A., Hof, A., Smigiel, C., & Yrigoy, I. (2021). Short-term rentals as a new urban frontier – evidence from European cities. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 53(7), 1601-1608. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X211042634

Collins, B. (2021). Place Branding and Its Discontents: The Politics and Management of Neighborhood Governance Systems. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 44(2) 0739456X2199844. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X21998448

DeGiovanni, F. F. (1983). Patterns of Change in Housing Market Activity in Revitalizing Neighborhoods. Journal of the American Planning Association, 49(1), 22-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944368308976193

DeGiovanni, F. F., & Paulson, N. A. (1984). Household Diversity in Revitalizing Neighborhoods. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 20(2), 211-232. https://doi.org/10.1177/004208168402000206

Eshuis, J., & Edelenbos, J. (2009). Branding in urban regeneration. Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, 2(3), 272-282. https://doi.org/10.69554/NUYS8388

Eshuis, J., Klijn, E.-H., & Braun, E. (2014). Place marketing and citizen participation: Branding as strategy to address the emotional dimension of policy making? International Review of Administrative Sciences, 80(1), 151-171. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852313513872

García, B. (2004). URBAN REGENERATION, ARTS PROGRAMMING AND MAJOR EVENTS: Glasgow 1990, Sydney 2000 and Barcelona 2004. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 10(1), 103-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028663042000212355

Gilboa, S., Jaffe, E. D., Vianelli, D., Pastore, A., & Herstein, R. (2015). A summated rating scale for measuring city image. Cities, 44, 50-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2015.01.002

Gon, M. (2021). Local experiences on Instagram: Social media data as source of evidence for experience design. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 19, 100435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2020.100435

González-Díez, L., & Bengoa, M. T. (2018). La intervención artística en el espacio urbano: Acción y reflexión de “Muros Tabacalera". Arquetipo, 17, 49-61.

Grodach, C. (2011). Art Spaces in Community and Economic Development: Connections to Neighborhoods, Artists, and the Cultural Economy. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 31(1), 74-85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X10391668

Hanna, S., & Rowley, J. (2008). An analysis of terminology use in place branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 4(1), 61-75. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.pb.6000084

Hannerz, E. (2016). Scrolling down the line. SAUC - Street Art and Urban Creativity, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.25765/sauc.v2i2.50

Hochman, N., & Manovich, L. (2013). Zooming into an Instagram City: Reading the local through social media. First Monday, 18(7). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v18i7.4711

Hudson, J. R. (1980). Revitalization of Inner-City Neighborhoods: An Ecological Approach. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 15(4), 397-408. https://doi.org/10.1177/107808748001500403

Hwang, K. H. (2014). Finding Urban Identity through Culture-led Urban Regeneration. Journal of Urban Management, 3(1-2), 67-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2226-5856(18)30084-0

Kádár, B., & Klaniczay, J. (2022). Branding Built Heritage through Cultural Urban Festivals: An Instagram Analysis Related to Sustainable Co-Creation, in Budapest. Sustainability, 14(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095020

Kusumowidagdo, A., Ujang, N., Rahadiyanti, M., & Ramli, N. A. (2022). Exploring the sense of place of traditional shopping streets through Instagram’s visual images and narratives. Open House International, 48(1), 2-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-01-2022-0009

Lemoine-Rodríguez, R., Inostroza, L., & Zepp, H. (2020). The global homogenization of urban form. An assessment of 194 cities across time. Landscape and Urban Planning, 204, 103949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103949

Luque Rodrigo, L., & Moral Ruiz, C. (2022). The complex task of cataloguing street and public art. CAP - Public Art Journal, 3(1), 36-49. https://doi.org/10.48619/CAP.V3I1.468

Luque-Rodrigo, L. (2020). La gestión del arte urbano, ¿una cuestión pendiente? La Colmena, 81. https://doi.org/10.36677/lacolmena.v0i106.13191

Martin, J. A., & Pentel, P. R. (2002). What the Neighbors Want: The Neighborhood Revitalization Program’s First Decade. Journal of the American Planning Association, 68(4), 435-449. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944360208976284

Masuda, J. R., & Bookman, S. (2018). Neighbourhood branding and the right to the city. Progress in Human Geography, 42(2), 165-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132516671822

Meléndez Táboas, A. (2013). Ilustradores de pared en Madrid. Arte y Ciudad: Revista de Investigación, 3(1), 569-586.

Miles, M. (1995). Art and urban regeneration. Urban History, 22(2), 238-252. https://doi.org/10.1017/S096392680000050X

Narangajavana, Y., Callarisa Fiol, L. J., Moliner Tena, M. Á., Rodríguez Artola, R. M., & Sánchez García, J. (2017). The influence of social media in creating expectations. An empirical study for a tourist destination. Annals of Tourism Research, 65, 60-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2017.05.002

Nomeikaite, L. (2017). Street art, heritage and embodiment. SAUC - Street Art and Urban Creativity, 3(1), 43-53. https://doi.org/10.25765/sauc.v3i1.62

Nur’afifah, O., & Prihantoro, E. (2021). The Influence of Social Media on Millennial Generation about Travel Decision-Making. Jurnal The Messenger, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.26623/themessenger.v13i3.2328

Piñuel, J. L. (2002). Epistemología, metodología y técnicas del análisis de contenido. Estudios de Sociolingüística, 3(1), 1-42.

Rabii, W. (2023). Global Appeal: Colorblindness, Neoliberalism, and Neighborhood Branding. Critical Sociology, 49(7-8), 1211-1230. https://doi.org/10.1177/08969205221146268

Rius Ulldemolins, J. (2014). Culture and authenticity in urban regeneration processes: Place branding in central Barcelona. Urban Studies, 51(14), 3026-3045. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098013515762

Sadeque, S., Roy, S. K., Swapan, M. S. H., Chen, C.-H., & Ashikuzzaman, M. (2020). An integrated model of city and neighborhood identities: A tale of two cities. Journal of Business Research, 117, 780-790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.06.040

Santos, M. L. B. dos. (2021). The “so-called” UGC: An updated definition of user-generated content in the age of social media. Online Information Review, 46(1), 95-113. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-06-2020-0258

Schivinski, B., & Dabrowski, D. (2016). The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands. Journal of Marketing Communications, 22(2), 189-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2013.871323

Sierra, R. (2001). Técnicas de investigación social: teoría y ejercicios (14a. ed.). Paraninfo : Thomson Learning.

Skinner, H. (2018). Who really creates the place brand? Considering the role of user generated content in creating and communicating a place identity. Communication & Society, 31(4), 9-25. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.31.4.9-24

Stern, M. J., & Seifert, S. C. (2010). Cultural Clusters: The Implications of Cultural Assets Agglomeration for Neighborhood Revitalization. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 29(3), 262-279. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X09358555

Sukiman, M. A. (2023). Exploring the impact of user- generated content on place branding: A study of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Malaysia on Instagram.

Sutton, S. A. (2010). Rethinking Commercial Revitalization: A Neighborhood Small Business Perspective. Economic Development Quarterly, 24(4), 352-371. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891242410370679

Terttunen, A. (2017). The influence of Instagram on consumers’ travel planning and destination choice [fi=AMK-opinnäytetyö|sv=YH-examensarbete|en=Bachelor’s thesis|]. Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu. http://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/129932

Thelander, Å., & Cassinger, C. (2017). Brand New Images? Implications of Instagram Photography for Place Branding. Media and Communication, 5(4), 6-14. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v5i4.1053

Urquia, I. (2025). Identidad y branding de barrio: retos y tendencias para la marca-lugar. Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación, 16(2), e28430. https://doi.org/10.14198/MEDCOM.28430

Van Ham, P. (2008). Place Branding: The State of the Art. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 126-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716207312274

Vázquez, M. G., Martín, M. C., Vázquez, M. G., & Martín, M. C. (2017). La ciudad como soporte: El auge de los festivales de arte urbano en España. VIII Congreso Internacional sobre la Imagen y la Red de Investigacion sobre la Imagen = Eighth International Conference on The Image : Venice International University, 31 October - 1 November. VIII Congreso Internacional sobre la Imagen y la Red de Investigacion sobre la Imagen = Eighth International Conference on The Image : Venice International University, 31 October - 1 November. https://produccioncientifica.ucm.es/documentos/63b5f6637109c1657f644861

Wachsmuth, D., & Weisler, A. (2018). Airbnb and the rent gap: Gentrification through the sharing economy. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 50(6), 1147-1170. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X18778038

Wacker, A., & Groth, A. (2020). Projected and Perceived Destination Image of Tyrol on Instagram. En J. Neidhardt & W. Wörndl (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2020 (pp. 103-114). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36737-4_9

Whybrow, N. (2011). Art and the City. I.B.Tauris. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755604081

Willer, C. J. (2022). Rebranding place “to build community”: Neighborhood branding in Buffalo, NY. Urban Geography, 43(9), 1350-1371. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2021.1927323

Zhou, L., & Xue, F. (2022). Effects of Instagram User-Generated Content on Travel Inspiration and Planning: An Extended Model of Technology Acceptance. Journal of Promotion Management, 28(3), 239-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2021.1989537

Published

2025-08-01

How to Cite

Urquía Uriaguereca, Íñigo. (2025). Urban art and neighborhood-brand identity: The case of Lavapiés and its representation on Instagram. Street Art & Urban Creativity, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.62161/sauc.v11.5642