The City Council of Victoria, BC, is currently considering a proposal to sell the naming rights to public facilities. This policy, if approved, would enable corporations to purchase the right to name everything from civic buildings to public infrastructure, thereby greatly extending the commercialization of public space by privatizing the symbolic identities of municipally-owned properties.

The naming of public places in a city is one of the fundamental ways that geographic spaces are imbued with meaning to express the cultural values of a community. By viewing public place names strictly in terms of their cash value, this sends a message to residents and visitors alike that the symbolic identity of the city is up for sale. Instead of naming places in honour of those individuals or groups who played a significant role in Victoria’s history, the proposed naming rights policy reduces public place names to “commodities” that can be bought and sold, which has the effect of cheapening their symbolic value.

It is extraordinarily ironic that in the very year that the City of Victoria is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding, the City Council is proposing to undercut the symbolic function of the cultural landscape as a repository of historical memory. Rather than selling the naming rights of public facilities to corporate sponsors, the city should take this historic opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to defending the value of the vibrant public spaces that are crucial to social life in a democratic society by ensuring that public places will continue to have public names.