Bridges, place representation and place creation

This paper is an exploration of bridges and their role in the representation of places and the development of place identity and image (in the sense that these latter two terms are understood in the corporate communications literature). The paper argues that bridges - and specifically those that have iconic status - can have a significant role to play in the representation of place in a marketing context, and examples of this are provided in the form of place logos that use bridges with a discussion of the rationales behind their development. The paper also considers the potential of such bridges in the 'institutionalisation' process by which places come into being, concluding that the role of bridges in place 'creation' does not always live up to the aspirations and visions of place identity and image campaigns. © The Authors. Journal compilation © 2008 Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers).