The water’s edge is the most iconic and identifiable image related to the city of Durban and in seeking an ‘authenticity’ that typifies the built fabric of the city, the image that this place creates is arguably the answer. Since its formal establishment as a settlement in 1824, this edge has been a primary element in the urban fabric. Development of the space has been fairly incremental over the last two centuries, starting with colonial infl uenced built interventions, but much of what is there currently stems from the 1930’s onwards, leading to a Modernist and later Contemporary sense of place that is moderated by regionalist infl uences, lending itself to creating a somewhat contextually relevant image. This ‘international yet local’ sense of place is however under threat from the increasingly prominent ‘global’ image of a-contextual glass high-rise towers placed along a non-descript public realm typical of global capital interests that is a hallmark of the turnkey project trends by developers from the East currently sweeping the African continent.

The article indicates the potential of revitalization activities in the process of building the image of the city, associated also with its “brand”. It shows the role of city-marketing to create a city product, connected to the development of the cultural industries and the urban tourism. The article indicates common areas between the revitalization process and the creating the city brand, focusing on Gdańsk. Two main documents are taken into account: Brand Strategy Gdańsk until 2013 and Program for the development and promotion of the product off er of Gdańsk and the region in the 2014-2020 perspective. The article shows different types of revitalization activities aff ecting the image of Gdańsk, including: the spectacular investments in postindustrial areas, as well as residents’ and independent organizations’ activities, aiming to transform and to promote neglected, but valuable, areas of the city.

This article describes the role of street art in the context of the city’s competitiveness and creativity. In addition, the study examines the perception of street art by residents of various cities in terms of its acceptance, associations, and impact on the image and competitiveness of cities. Based on selected examples from Poland, manifestations of street art were indicated as a determinant of the direction of changes in the image of the city’s architecture and urban layout. The entire discussion was set in the framework of a literature review, case study, and survey research. The article deals with the issues of urban artistic articulations and their impact on the increase in the level of social participation, growing creativity in public space and increasing the attractiveness and competitiveness of the city. By presenting numerous examples, the importance of street art was indicated as an element influencing the city’s popularity and attractiveness. Moreover, the manner of perception of street art among residents was presented, taking into account their place of residence in terms of population. The interdisciplinary approach implemented made it possible to confirm the purposefulness of using the activities of street artists in the space of our existence, in giving a unique identity of urban spaces, thus influencing the competitiveness of cities. Acceptance and positive perception of street art should make city authorities aware of how important this artistic current can become from the perspective of managing the city’s image.