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Sustainable Mega-Events

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2013) | Viewed by 66167

Special Issue Editor

Michigan State University, 201E Human Ecology, 552 W. Circle Drive, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Interests: transport planning for extreme events; urban planning and policy during rapid urban change processes; international planning; disaster prevention and recovery; emergency preparedness

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ephemeral mega events and sustainability seem to be paradoxes. Despite their short lifetime, the planning, preparing, and staging of mega events create opportunities to shape sustainable legacies. Whether tangible or intangible, they affect host countries and their cities for several decades. In short, mega events can be watershed moments to introduce sustainable practices that fundamentally alter every day life of residents post event. In this special issue of Sustainability, we will explore best practices to create “Sustainable Mega-Events”, including but not limited to sustainable practices while hosting a mega event, sustainable legacies, and sustainable planning approaches. We encourage authors to submit original manuscripts addressing the triple bottom line of economic efficiency, environmental stewardship and social equity as review or research articles using quantitative and/or qualitative analyses. This special issue intends to highlight best practices, point out potential pitfalls and identify lessons learned as we move into an era, in which mega events have become powerful political tools to reshape urban agendas.

Dr. Eva Kassens-Noor
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mega event
  • legacy
  • planning

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

956 KiB  
Article
“Festivalisation” of Urban Governance in South African Cities: Framing the Urban Social Sustainability of Mega-Event Driven Development from Below
by Matthias Fleischer, Maximilian Fuhrmann, Christoph Haferburg and Fred Krüger
Sustainability 2013, 5(12), 5225-5248; https://doi.org/10.3390/su5125225 - 09 Dec 2013
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 10840
Abstract
This article is based on field research in two South African host cities of the Men’s Football World Cup 2010 (eThekwini and Johannesburg). The discussed work is part of the research project “Festivalisation” of Urban Governance: The Production of Socio-Spatial Control in the [...] Read more.
This article is based on field research in two South African host cities of the Men’s Football World Cup 2010 (eThekwini and Johannesburg). The discussed work is part of the research project “Festivalisation” of Urban Governance: The Production of Socio-Spatial Control in the Context of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. In the context of mega-events, impacts and changes on urban development can vary on a spectrum of festivalisation between opposing poles, either “driven by the event”, or on the other hand where existing configurations of actors and established policies are “driving the event”. By drawing on a theoretical framework which is inspired by an analytical understanding of urban governance, our assumptions are that (a) different configurations of governance promote different ways of handling the challenges associated to the hosting and (b) that different types of “festivalisation” have different consequences and effects for the lived realities of the residents at a local level. The latter is an arena in which urban governance policies are translated, adapted, renegotiated or rejected. We argue that the bringing together of both spheres (local and metropolitan) provides a profound understanding of the process of mega-event implementation and its relation to urban social sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Mega-Events)
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529 KiB  
Article
Between Discourse and Reality: The Un-Sustainability of Mega-Event Planning
by Christopher Gaffney
Sustainability 2013, 5(9), 3926-3940; https://doi.org/10.3390/su5093926 - 16 Sep 2013
Cited by 88 | Viewed by 18574
Abstract
The zero-sum nature of mega-event hosting encourages cities to escalate investment with an eye towards convincing event rights holders that a positive outcome will result. The discursive frameworks of “legacy” and “sustainability”, the global competition to attract events and the compressed event horizon [...] Read more.
The zero-sum nature of mega-event hosting encourages cities to escalate investment with an eye towards convincing event rights holders that a positive outcome will result. The discursive frameworks of “legacy” and “sustainability”, the global competition to attract events and the compressed event horizon make for mega-event preparation regimes that may seriously compromise long-term urban planning agendas in mega-event hosts. By examining the sustainable urban planning literature, the discursive frameworks of sustainability in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the discursive framing of the Rio 2016 bid, this paper will examine the Olympic Golf project being implemented in Rio de Janeiro. Through this case study the paper argues that unless mega-event rights holders change their candidacy and selection processes, these events will inevitably be detrimental to their hosts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Mega-Events)
659 KiB  
Article
The Contribution of the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games to Green Economy
by Holger Preuss
Sustainability 2013, 5(8), 3581-3600; https://doi.org/10.3390/su5083581 - 20 Aug 2013
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 20807
Abstract
This paper focuses on the contribution of mega events onto the development of a green economy at the event host location and discusses how to measure it. The promises of organizers usually are very ambitious but the question remains as to how realistic [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on the contribution of mega events onto the development of a green economy at the event host location and discusses how to measure it. The promises of organizers usually are very ambitious but the question remains as to how realistic these claims are. This question will be addressed in three sections by using methods that are primarily analytical and critical rather than an empirical collection of data. The environmental sustainability of mega sport events is discussed and then a framework is developed to capture the green legacy and the basis for building up a green economy in all its dimensions. The main contribution mega events can make to developing a green economy at the host city will be explained. Furthermore, the paper seeks to explain why promises made during the bidding process on the environmental sustainability are often not met when it comes to the preparation for the event. The current obstacles to producing “Green Games” and building up a green economy are presented enlightened, ranging from financial shortcomings to a lack of serious environmental interest on the part of the organizers. In conclusion, it will be shown that mega events encourage the development of a green economy by their signaling power and educational opportunities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Mega-Events)
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601 KiB  
Article
“Bring It under the Legacy Umbrella”: Olympic Host Cities and the Changing Fortunes of the Sustainability Agenda
by John R. Gold and Margaret M. Gold
Sustainability 2013, 5(8), 3526-3542; https://doi.org/10.3390/su5083526 - 16 Aug 2013
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 14860
Abstract
A concern for enduring urban outcomes lies at the heart of the Olympic Games in a way that no other sporting or cultural event can match, but each age has recast the ways in which such outcomes have been framed in light of [...] Read more.
A concern for enduring urban outcomes lies at the heart of the Olympic Games in a way that no other sporting or cultural event can match, but each age has recast the ways in which such outcomes have been framed in light of its own values and needs. Seen against that background, this paper examines the evolution of the Olympic movement’s sustainability agenda. It first considers how the environment emerged as an issue within the Winter Games through concerns over environmental protection, discusses measures introduced to embed sustainability into official Olympic practice, and explores the evolution of the dynamic relationship between sustainability and the overlapping but, to some extent, rival concept of “legacy”. The latter part of the paper illustrates these ideas with regard to the London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. It analyses the “One Planet Games” concept, how this was developed for the bid, and how it was subsequently put into practice, commenting particularly on the carbon footprint, creation of the Olympic Park (as sustainable legacy) and the promotion of sustainable living. The conclusion comments on the continuing challenges encountered in implementing sustainability plans and addressing long-term legacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Mega-Events)
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