Abstract: The subject of this research is the impact of university brand upon the actual and potential development of the city. This article examines such correlation on the example of impact of Irkutsk State University brand upon the city of Irkutsk, its image, social and intellectual capital in the past, present and future; analyzes the perception of university within urban environment by the city dwellers as a way to preserve the past, understand the present and form the future. Irkutsk State University form the city’s sociocultural environment and defines the peculiarities of its development. Research methodology is structured on combination of the symbolic, structural-functional and constructivist approaches; applies the methods of survey and expert interview, as well as trans-symbolic analysis of interview and questionnaires for data processing. The main conclusion of the conducted research lies in the statement that the role of university brand in development of the local city is pivotal. Using the example of Irkutsk State University, the author is able to trace the peculiarities of social reproduction modelling, in which the university manifests as the fundamental sphere for preserving the past, forming the present and developing the future of the city of Irkutsk.