Evaluation of the City Image – Based on the Opinion of the Inhabitants of Szczecin

Abstract

Positive image of a city and a country translates into all the economic spheres of both the territorial units themselves and the businesses operating within their area. Employing the instruments used by the companies is an indispensable factor of development and competitiveness. The key to success in the competitive marketplace of cities is taking premeditated and strategic decisions intended to build up an attractive image of a city. Knowledge of the users’ emotional attitude towards the space seems to be a key factor from the perspective of developing and implementing strategies of growth of the cities and regions, including the creation of their images, considered one of the elements of the widely understood territorial capital. The image of a city is shaped by an individual, depending of their own demographic-social features. The purpose of the article is presentation of the opinions of the Szczecin inhabitants concerning the image of their city. The article describes the results of the study carried out with the use of an electronic survey on a representative sample of the Szczecin inhabitants. The knowledge of the opinions and judgments of the Szczecin inhabitants plays a key role in creating the strategic marketing actions of Szczecin, particularly the activation of the local communities, communication of the authorites with the inhabitants, promotion of the city achievements or building up its image.