Branding historic cities through urban regeneration: the paradigm of <i>Gulf’orification</i>

Historic cities worldwide continue to face challenges due to globalization in the 21st century. These challenges are particularly evident in the Gulf, where post-oil modernization brought about significant changes as historic cities evolved from small districts to commercial hubs. The effort to align historic cities with contemporary urban development places them at a critical crossroads, where the drive for urban branding often conflicts with the imperative to preserve their cultural heritage. This research examines how international recognition through urban branding is influencing the outcomes of urban regeneration in three Gulf historic cities: the Pearling Path in Muharraq,Bahrain; Msheireb in Doha,Qatar; and Al Mureijah in Sharjah, Emirates. The study adopts an inductive comparative case study approach, triangulating document analysis, literature synthesis, and promotional campaigns. The analysis shows a strong association between the pursuit of international nominations, such as the Creative City Network, Aga Khan Awards, and ISESCO and urban regeneration initiatives that emphasize heritage spectacle over heritage conservation. Based on this analysis, the study coins the paradigm of “Gulf’orification”, a branding-led urban regeneration process through which historic cities are not only revived aesthetically but are also valorized using international recognition to produce the symbolic elevation of heritage thriving on an inter-city economic competition on one end and the quest for UNESCO designation on the other.