City branding is a strategic process aimed at creating, developing, and managing a distinct and attractive identity for a city to enhance its appeal to various societal groups. Small cities, which often face shortages of financial and human resources, must strive to compete for recognition. Branding small cities is essential for strengthening local identity, attracting tourists and investments, and increasing social participation. This process helps cities leverage their unique advantages to achieve a better position in regional and international competitions. Moreover, city branding can lead to sustainable development, innovation, and improved quality of life in these cities. Today, various models have been proposed for managing city branding, while recent studies highlight city branding as an effective approach to sustainable urban development. This research aims to design a comprehensive approach for branding small cities by identifying their unique challenges and opportunities compared to larger cities. Based on a review of scientific literature and established theoretical frameworks, the proposed model in this study consists of three main phases: pre-branding (identifying criteria and strategic frameworks), during branding (designing and implementing programs), and post-branding (eva‎luating results and continuous improvement). The research emphasizes the importance of active stakeholder engagement, including local communities, policymakers, and businesses, and demonstrates that creating a unique identity by leveraging the cultural, historical, and social characteristics of small cities can enhance brand appeal and differentiation in a competitive market. Various models, such as Hanna’s model and Kavaratzis’ model, have been developed in the past to guide urban brand development. However, the lack of a practical model for managing the branding of small cities, which often lack expertise in branding and are preoccupied with operational issues, is evident. The proposed model in this research aims to address this gap. The distinguishing feature of this model is its practicality and focus on pattern recognition as an accelerator for planning. In the case study of Khomein city, this model was implemented and analyzed as a practical example. In this research, interviews were conducted with 13. experts from Khomein, and questionnaires were completed by 302 citizens. Subsequently, content analysis was performed using open and axial coding methods, and the results were presented. The findings indicate that a targeted and participatory approach can facilitate successful city branding planning and define a comprehensive list of actionable measures. Due to time constraints and the long-term nature of branding projects, the proposed model was implemented in its first phase, pre-branding, while subsequent phases were introduced as recommendations for the future. Finally, the proposed model, if approved by city branding experts, can be applied to other small cities as well.

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محسن شهرياري , پريسا عصارزادگان