The purpose of this research is to study the implementation of ecological modernization branding in the cities of The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht in the Netherlands. These cities use ecological modernization branding to attract people, projects and investments. For example, they may project the image of being ‘smart’ and commission projects to showcase that they are in fact a smart city. However, the overall image that appears from the literature is that there exists a substantial gap between the brand image and its actual implementation. An assessment framework is synthesized in order to carry out this study, this analytical framework addresses numerous aspects: municipal input, throughput and output factors, the local action arena, projects and outcomes to assess the implementation. To this end, the main research question is:

How do the three Dutch cities in the ‘Randstad’ i.e. Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague implement the programs, policies and attract investments that adhere to the city brands they project?

A comparative case study approach is best suited as we can identify similarities, differences and themes across regions and cities using the assessment framework to analyze the cases. Methods used will primarily be desk research and interviews to complement the comparative study and will add nuance to our understanding of ÈM branding. The results revealed three types of EM brand labels present in these cities.