The Role of Google Maps Reviews in Co-Creating Brand Identity: A Case Study of NDSM, Amsterdam

This thesis explores how user-generated content on Google Maps contributes to the co-creation of place identity within the context of urban regeneration, using the NDSM-wharf in Amsterdam as a case study. Formerly a shipbuilding site, NDSM has been repurposed into a creative and cultural hub through adaptive reuse, positioning itself as a flagship example of post-industrial transformation. While urban regeneration and place branding are often analyzed through top-down strategies and institutional narratives, this study addresses a critical gap by focusing on bottom-up digital narratives shaped by everyday visitors. Specifically, it investigates how Google Maps reviews, an accessible but often overlooked form of user-generated content, narrate visitor perceptions of NDSM's evolving identity as a cultural hotspot. The central research question is: How do Google Maps reviews narrate visitor perceptions of NDSM's transformation into a cultural hotspot? To answer this, the study employs thematic content analysis combined with a qualitative interpretive approach, drawing on theoretical frameworks of digital placemaking and place identity branding. A total of 602 English- and Dutch-language Google Maps reviews posted between January 2023 and January 2025 were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding using ATLAS.ti. This process identified recurring themes and emotional tones across different levels of evaluative sentiment. The findings reveal five overarching thematic categories: (1) Cultural Identity & Artistic Expression, (2) Accessibility & Infrastructure, (3) Spatial Identity & Urban Transformation, (4) Visitor Experience & Emotional Engagement, and (5) Narrating Place Through Reviews. These themes demonstrate how visitors attribute symbolic, emotional, and aesthetic value to NDSM, and how these digital narratives both reinforce and challenge the area's urban branding as a creative hub. Star ratings and affective language further reveal that positive reviews tend to emphasize inspiration, artistic programming, and inclusivity, while negative reviews express frustrations related to infrastructure, navigation, or perceived commercialization. By integrating qualitative with descriptive quantitative data, this study argues that Google Maps reviews serve as a form of informal cultural expression and bottom-up place-making. They reflect the participatory co-creation of meaning and identity in regenerated urban spaces, offering an alternative lens through which cultural transformation can be assessed beyond institutional discourse. This study contributes to urban and media studies by demonstrating the analytical potential of user-generated digital narratives in shaping the lived and perceived identities of post-industrial cultural sites such as NDSM.