The long-term implications of mega-event projects for urban public spaces

Abstract

An emerging theme within the mega-events literature is the ways they affect the provision, regulation and design of urban public spaces. Parks, streets and squares host competition venues, and are also used for supplementary occasions and facilities associated with hosting mega-events. Using examples from the London 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, this paper examines the long-term significance of mega-events for urban public spaces. The paper contends that these events can be used as ‘Trojan Horses’, allowing new systems to be introduced under the cover of an event. It also emphasizes how temporary mega-events transform public spaces into venues for subsequent commercial events. Finally, the paper acknowledges more positive legacies, showing how mega-events can change how public space is imagined by users and by those responsible for managing it. Both cases highlight how events influence the ways spaces are used, designed and managed.

Keywords:

• Olympic Games
• London
• Glasgow
• public realm
• eventalisation
• Commonwealth Games

Acknowledgements

This paper was written as part of the HERA funded project Festivals, Events and Inclusive Urban Public Spaces in Europe. The authors would like to thank and acknowledge the co-authors of the publications used as the basis for this paper, especially Matt Frew and Guy Osborn.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 While recognising debates in the literature about what constitutes a mega-event in terms of size, scale and impact (Müller 2015), we address the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup (which are clearly mega-events by any definition) alongside second-tier events including the Commonwealth Games and European football championships. However, for clarity and brevity, we use the term mega-event throughout.