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Towards a Post-crisis Urban Agenda: Learning from Mega-Events

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Mega-Events and Legacies in Post-Metropolitan Spaces

Part of the book series: Mega Event Planning ((MEGAEP))

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Abstract

On the base of the different results of the case studies, previously analyzed, this chapter provides a first conclusion of the book, by stressing the potential contribution of mega-events in redefining scales and contents of contemporary urban policies . In particular, it aims at emphasizing how Expos have been evolving, as well as how they could develop in the future according to current needs for a post-crisis urban agenda . At this purpose, the reference to German IBAs serves as an example for a theoretical reflection on the necessary involvement of mega-events within new urban agendas , because of their frequency and, moreover, their capability to synthesize (in time and space) the complexity of contemporary urban phenomena in their re-configuration from denser urban cores to wider post-metropolitan spaces . Furthermore, this reference to German IBAs specifically serves as a suggestion to the BIE about the opportunities provided by a radically different event model, that is widespread and more focused on the issues of economic, environmental, and social sustainability.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Chap. 1.

  2. 2.

    See Chaps. 2, 3, 4 and 5.

  3. 3.

    Considering the visitor attractiveness of a World’s or International Fair in both the medium range (according to the ratio visitors/residents within 500 km from the exhibition venue) and the long range (according to the increase of passengers in the proximal airport system), the Shanghai Expo 2010 (73 million visitors) can be considered successful, the Milan Expo 2015 (21.5 million visitors) mediocre, whereas the Lisbon Expo 1998 (11 million visitors) and the Zaragoza Expo 2008 (5.6 million visitors) unsuccessful (CityRailways 2016).

  4. 4.

    See Paragraph 5.4.

  5. 5.

    Furthermore—as the above-mentioned samples of the Seville post-Expo 1992 or the Milan Bicocca Tecnocity have already highlighted—this vision and management could be planned through an incremental approach, in order to avoid risks connected to a casual incomplete implementation, that can penalize urban projects and contexts.

  6. 6.

    As highlighted in Chaps. 2 and 3, while the bidding phase (2006–2007) was implemented before the explosion of the 2008 crisis, the organizing phase (2008–2015) was affected by the world and local economic recession.

  7. 7.

    See Chap. 3.

  8. 8.

    See Chaps. 2 and 3.

  9. 9.

    See Chap. 4.

  10. 10.

    Indeed, a part from its high local and supra-local accessibility, one of the reasons of this choice related to the need of the Milan Trade Fair Foundation to exploit the real estate value of the areas it owned in the surrounding of its new exhibition venue—520,000 sqm of the 1,048,000 sqm totally involved by the Expo site—in order to recover part of the costs due to its development and management.

  11. 11.

    At first, in post-industrial economies of the so-called global north and, then, in developing countries.

  12. 12.

    See Chap. 1.

  13. 13.

    For what concerns the Summer Games, the withdrawal of Rome from the 2020 Olympics bid (due to financial troubles of the Italian Government), the withdrawal of Boston (because of negative polls), Budapest (because of a petition), Hamburg (because of a negative referendum), and Rome (because of financial troubles of the Rome Municipality) for the 2024 Olympics bid, the withdrawal of Shanghai and Amsterdam (because of negative opinions by local authorities), as well as Vienna (because of negative polls) to the 2028 Olympics bid. Concerning the Winter Games, the withdrawal of Oslo from the 2022 Olympics bid (because of negative polls), the withdrawal of Barcelona (because of negative opinions by local authorities), and Graubunden (because of a negative referendum) for the 2026 Olympics bid (Di Vita 2017b). However, against this trend, the current Italian Government (chaired by the Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni), Lombardy Regional Government (chaired by the President Roberto Maroni), and Milan City Council (chaired by the Mayor Giuseppe Sala) are supporting the preliminary proposal recently expressed by the Italian National Olympic Committee to candidate Milan and the Alpine Valtellina to host the 2026 or the 2030 Winter Olympics.

  14. 14.

    Referring to these issues, a roundtable entitled ‘The Planning Legacy of Mega Events during/after the World Crisis’ was organized within the 2017 AESOP Annual Conference (Lisbon, July 11–14, 2017) by Stefano Di Vita (Politecnico di Milano) and Mark Wilson (Michigan State University) (web site: www.aesop2017.pt).

  15. 15.

    See Chap. 3.

  16. 16.

    As also exemplified by the four case studies of this book: that is, the Oceans in the Lisbon Expo 1998; the water in the Zaragoza Expo 2008; the cities’ sustainability in the Shanghai Expo 2010; and the food and nutrition in the Milan Expo 2015.

  17. 17.

    See Paragraph 6.1.

  18. 18.

    In German, Internationale Bauausstellung.

  19. 19.

    Web site: http://www.iba-emscherpark.de/.

  20. 20.

    Web site: http://www.iba-parkstad.nl/en.

  21. 21.

    The participant Municipalites were Duisburg, Oberhausen, Mulheiman der Ruhr, Bottrop, Essen, Gladbeck, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Herten, Recklinghausen, Bochum, Castrop-Rauxel, Waltrop, Dortmund, Lunen, Bergkamen, and Kamen.

  22. 22.

    Through a total investment of 2 billion € (both public and private).

  23. 23.

    The cooperating Municipalites have been Bergkamen, Bochum, Bottrop, Bönen, Castrop-Rauxel, Datteln, Dinslaken, Dorsten, Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, Fröndenberg, Gelsenkirchen, Gladbeck, Hagen, Haltern am See, Hamm, Hattingen, Herdecke, Herne, Herten, Holzwickede, Kamen, Kamp-Lintfort, Lünen, Marl, Moers, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Neukirchen-Vluyn, Oberhausen, Oer-Erkenschwick, Recklinghausen, Schermbeck, Schwerte, Selm, Unna, Voerde, Waltrop, Werne, Wetter, and Witten.

  24. 24.

    Accordingly, the Strategy Europe 2020 promoted by the European Union, as well as the related funding program Horizon 2020 have identified some strategic issues: from the implementation of more collaborative and inclusive approaches, to the promotion of new productive activities or the supply of new services, also due to the exploitation of digital technologies.

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  1. Dipartimento di Architettura e Studi Urbani, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Stefano Di Vita

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Di Vita, S. (2018). Towards a Post-crisis Urban Agenda: Learning from Mega-Events. In: Mega-Events and Legacies in Post-Metropolitan Spaces. Mega Event Planning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67768-2_6

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