Image and Extension in the European Urban Landscape. Governance, Ideology, Territorial Cooperation and Sphere of Influence
The advantage of our analysis of the territorial image projected by the citizens of Rennes is that it focuses on a territory pursuing unusual objectives. While Rennes is both dynamic, in good health demographically, and deemed to be a pleasant place to live, it projects an official image as extensively as a city in crisis. The primary focus of its extra-territorial image is local; from a European perspective, this image is confronted with performativity. In the search for a global image, bolstered by the interplay of solely public actors, the metropolization of Rennes is sustained by recourse to public initiatives. But is metropolitan governance concerning questions of image really making headway? Is it not detrimental to cooperation with other territories? Symbolically, even though Rennes appears to be following the trend of the urban market through the construction of ideologies fuelled by the spirit of the times, it still strives to assume a trailblazing role in the extension of its image as an innovative city.