EN
The aim of the article has been to characterize the planning of urban identity strategy as well as to underline some crucial barriers to its successful implementation. The authoress' own research shows that in most Polish towns and cities actions undertaken to shape a desirable urban image are consciously planned. The process of constructing and selling the image of a town is most often one of the major objectives for municipal authorities. However, plans dealing with the shaping of urban identity are typically short-term ones, and very few towns conduct surveys and studies on conditions underlying urban image strategies or the current perception of a town by particular target groups and their expectations as regards the town image. Insufficient knowledge of the market is one of the key factors which impede successful implementation of urban image strategies by towns and cities in Poland.