Geographical factors of territorial branding in local development strategy (on the example of Kovalivska rural community)

Abstract

Territorial branding, when viewed through the prism of geographical factors, involves  the conceptual positioning of a certain territory by highlighting its unique features.  Specific natural, cultural, or economic characteristics of the area, if used effectively,  provide various stakeholders (business community, local residents, potential investors)  with opportunities for business development, formation of a recognizable image of  the territory, and improvement of the quality of life of residents. The purpose of the  study was to determine the impact of socio-geographical factors on the formation of  territorial branding and its role in strategic documents of the basic level of management.  Creating an individual profile of a locality as one of the branding tasks involves the  long-term development of the territory’s economy by stimulating industries with the  greatest potential for growth. Based on this, the Kovalivska rural community of the Kyiv  region was chosen as the object of research in this publication. Given that the concept  of territorial branding should be consistent with individual strategic documents, the  research methodology was based on the characterization of the system of documents  at different organizational levels: State Strategy for Regional Development for 2021-  2027, Kyiv Region Development Strategy for 2021-2027. In order to analyze the local  economic structure, data were taken from the official website of the community, as well  as the Decentralization website and the Open Data Bot service. QGIS was used to  process geodata on the spatial distribution of the population and the structure of land  use distribution.

Results. The analysis of the Kovalivska UTC and the enterprises operating on its territory  allowed us to determine that the main economic activity is agriculture. Almost all of the  land area not occupied by forests is actively used for the agricultural sector. The lack of strategic documents that fully describe the economic profile of a community creates  uncertainty about its formalized specialization. To address this gap, an assessment was  made of the geographical factors that influence the formation of a territorial brand that  can stimulate development. The results of the study revealed a noticeable disproportion  in the levels of socio-economic development within the community: certain settlements,  including Kovalivka (the administrative center), Marianivka, Ustymivka, and Polohy,  demonstrate a much higher potential for both residential and business development,  which requires a differentiated approach to building the territory’s brand.

The scientific novelty lies primarily in the fact that the positioning of any territory involves  the use of previously developed materials that create conditions for the systematic  implementation of measures to increase the competitiveness of the community in both  local and regional markets. Geographical factors were selected taking into account  the fact that they determine the competitive advantages of a particular territory and  provide opportunities for achieving high efficiency in the relevant area. The practical  significance of the results obtained is primarily determined by the effectiveness for local  authorities involved in the development of strategic documents. In these conditions,  the task of the relevant developments that have been made is to maintain competitive  advantages in the areas of specialization of the territory.