Perception of Regional Identity – Case Study of River Basins of the Morava River (Slovakia, Czech Republic)

Abstract

New role of the European regions within the processes of cooperation and competition highlighted their need for unique, highly profiled and strategically managed regional identity. Regional identity is one of the most important assets of any region and might serve as invaluable competitive advantage. Regional identity, its sources, background and consequences for regional development are the main focus of this contribution. Need for unique, original and plausible profile of each region, aspiring to be successful in the process of regional competition has been confirmed to be utterly urgent. Struggling for competitive advantage of the particular region is based on the strategic managerial approach toward city/regional identity. The article refers to the survey of regional identity in the river basins of the Morava river in both the Slovak and the Czech parts of the river basins covering the results of perception of various elements of regional identity: perception of landscape and river, relations to living spaces, values and image, river identity and identification with territory, recent societal development and future perspectives.

Keywords

• regional identity
• social cohesion
• common values
• regional image
• river identity
• river basins