Mega-events, glocalisation and urban legacy: London as an event city and the 2012 Olympics
Mega-events, glocalisation and urban legacy: London as an event city and the 2012 Olympics
Mega-events exemplify the ‘glocalisation’ involved in global processes being embodied in local, urban contexts. This chapter explores this through the particular lens of mega-events staged in London and their urban legacies. London is understood as being both a Western and European world regional city as well as being a national capital. The chapter show how London has been physically marked and culturally influenced by a number of mega-events since the mid-19thC, particularly Expos and Expo-type events. They left long-term urban legacies, most notably in the cases of the ‘Albertopolis’ and Southbank cultural quarters. The chapter uses some of these introductory and historical themes to inform a detailed look into the case of the London 2012 Olympics and its various social and economic legacies. It shows the importance for the London model of mega-event legacy-making, of the construction of a major new urban park for social and environmental reasons. On the basis of a review of developments in the short- to medium-term post-Olympic period the chapter concludes that event planners’ hopes that the Olympic park can operate as a hub and catalyst also for economic and employment development, particularly in the cultural and creative industries, are credible.
Keywords: mega-events, ‘glocalisation’, London, Expos, London 2012 Olympics, urban legacies, Olympic park, cultural and creative industries
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