ABSTRACT
Neighborhoods are where people spend the bulk of their time and are where they make one of the biggest purchasing decisions of their lives, so more research is needed into the importance of brands and identity. Neighborhood branding is an active, co-creative process involving neighborhood stakeholders setting mutually agreed-upon goals and values to achieve outputs and outcomes that could include pragmatic and emotional appeals. A neighborhood events director was hired, and there are more planned community happenings on the horizon. An economic development professional also in Washington, DC, also questioned some of the motives for wanting a neighborhood brand. Neighborhoods are so personal to people, and they tend to bristle when neighborhood changes happen that also shift their personal identities. The research opens up a new area for public administration scholars to look beyond neighborhood governance issues and toward co-production ones with the micro-level unit.
