Mga-events such as the World Cup and the Olympics have significant consequences for a host city, region or nation. They are constantly marketed as a great opportunity for public – and private – investment in a city’s urban infrastructure, particularly in the area of transportation. The biggest problem with these events, ultimately, is the conflict between the needs of the event and the needs of the city.

While there are successful examples of events that effectively led to an urban transformation, there is no shortage of examples where the economic benefits of those investments were highly overrated. For the 1992 Olympics, for example, Barcelona invested in new roads, public space improvements and sewage system upgrades. The urban transformation that transpired helped make the city one of the main tourist destinations in the world. But more typically, cities put all their energies (and money) into preparing for the big event rather than the future. Given this reality, it is perhaps not surprising that the International Olympic Committee is now having a hard time finding countries willing to host the event.

Full article at City Monitor’s website. Date of publication: 23/11/2020.