Urban Branding Through Cultural–Creative Tourism: A Review of Youth Engagement for Sustainable Development

Several studies on cultural–creative tourism, urban branding (UB), youth engagement, and sustainability have been conducted in isolation, obstructing comprehensive approaches to UB development challenges. This review article aims to develop an integrated framework representing the complex interrelationships between these factors through a theory-based review and case study analysis. Methodologically, the investigation adopts bibliometric analysis using the VOSviewer software version 1.6.20 to identify thematic clusters across keyword pairings within research from 2000 to 2025, followed by content analysis for classification. The primary result is the Hierarchical–Relational Urban Sustainability (HRUS) framework, which employs a dual-pathway approach: (1) a sequential integration pathway, positioning cultural–creative tourism as the foundational mechanism supporting UB as the central concept, facilitating youth engagement as the key demographic group, and ultimately contributing to sustainability, and (2) a direct relationship pathway, examining specific connections between each factor and sustainability alone. This article contributes the first comprehensive framework that systematically integrates four main themes for sustainable urban development. The HRUS framework facilitates cross-sectoral collaboration by establishing actionable mechanisms for urban planners, universities, and tourism authorities to achieve sustainable urban brand development.