Platsmarknadsföring - Spårvägen i Lund

Sammanfattning

The study examines the role of symbolic values in the decision to build the tram in Lund, with particular focus on how these values are expressed in the development of Brunnshög. The aim is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how tram investments can be analyzed through place marketing perspectives. The study is based on a qualitative case study where empirical material has been collected through document studies of municipal policy and vision documents, cost-benefit analysis and reports linked to the tram in Lund. The material has been analyzed using a theoretical framework consisting of theories about neoliberalism and place marketing. Results show that the tram in the official documents of the municipality of Lund is presented as more than a means of transportation. The tram can be understood as a strategic complement to positioning Lund as an internationally competitive and sustainable knowledge city. The study concludes that the tram can be understood as a landmark – a concrete and visible object that the municipality has chosen to anchor and communicate an identity as innovative, sustainable and world-class. In relation to Brunnshög, the tramway fulfills a dual function: a functional one as a necessary physical prerequisite for future exploitation and meeting the capacity needs along the route. In addition, a symbolic one that anchors and communicates the abstract vision of Brunnshög as a world-leading research and innovation environment.