What is event led regeneration? Are we confusing terminology or will London 2012 be the first Games to truly benefit the local existing population?

The term regeneration means keeping the locality available for the same social classes and improving the infrastructure for their benefit, however examination of previous games including Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000 has shown evidence of renaissance, referring to ‘upgrading’ the social structure of the area. The property prices in both cities rose as a result of the hosting of the games for both home owners and renters thus changing the social structure of the areas in questions. This term, renaissance, was used by Mace et al, (2007) in their paper about the urban changes to east Manchester. A further term called social rejuvenation is more appropriate because it implies an intervention in the continuing decline of as area without specifying for whom the improvements are intended thus allowing the market forces to determine the social makeup, and therefore avoiding accusations of letting the locals down through unfulfilled promises. This paper examines in detail both Sydney 2000 and Barcelona 1996 Olympic Games organisers’ strategies in developing their cities in order to host their respective games and in doing so the effects these plans had on the demographic structure of the local populations. Lessons learned are then made into recommendations for London 2012 where already communities are being displaced and the social structure is in danger of changing, with the promised ‘regeneration’ of East London (ODA, 2005) therefore never materialising

Weymouth's once in a lifetime opportunity.

On the 6 July 2005 much changed for the towns of Weymouth and Portland, Dorset as they heard that in seven years time they would be hosting the sailing for the successful London 2012 Olympic Bid. Two years later on, and whilst the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) has swung into action with its preparations, the town of Weymouth itself in some respects appears to be unsure of it’s future direction. At the time of the bid the road issue was still uppermost in the minds of the residents; however that issue has potentially been resolved with the Government announcing the decision to build the relief road in time for the 2012 Games which will alter significantly the arrival of visitors into the town from Dorchester, until now a potential traffic nightmare for both visitors and residents alike with long delays and traffic bottlenecks. Yet, within the town itself, little has changed. Many plans are being suggested about developments including the new Pavilion Peninsula and also the redevelopment of the waterfront esplanade, but it would appear that the town is slightly indecisive as to where it wants to position itself with regard to attracting visitors and income to the town. Weymouth needs to decide on its strategy for the future, by adopting a concerted approach to attract certain segments of the market and invest sensibly in these areas, rather than trying to spread itself too thinly across all market sectors. The role of a good events portfolio could be a major contributor to a successful marketing strategy. From research undertaken in 2004 ( Sadd, 2004 ), it is evident that the locals are keen for the ‘ season ’ to be all year around and they recognise the importance of events in the town and how, historically, they have been a great source of celebration, ranging from the military parades to the hosting of the tall ships for an unprecedented three times. This chapter will explain the historical underpinning of Weymouth’s present situation and will make suggestions for possible events based strategies to maximise the potential benefits to be gained from being Olympic Hosts in 2012

The 3 R’S of Olympic Legacy; regeneration, renaissance, rejuvenation

The word regeneration features prominently in the official documentation of the London 2012 organisers, the International Olympic Committee, various books, articles and journals, especially in relation to justifying the hosting of mega-events. Exactly what does the word mean and is it the correct word to use? London 2012 intends to transform the lives of the people of East London through the social, physical and economic changes, in that ‘regeneration’ means keeping the same social classes and improving the facilities and infrastructure for their benefit. However, experience from past Games has proven that in most case the ex-athletes village properties’ become sort after accommodation through their location, historical significance and in particular with Sydney, their high environmental standards. These properties therefore appreciate in value very quickly and become occupied by middle class, thus causing a renaissance of the area rather than regeneration (Mace et al, 2007). In addition there is also social rejuvenation relating to reversing the decline of an area without specifying for whom the improvements are necessarily intended. Is it feasible to accommodate mix use housing? Will the Games organisers eventually need to maximise their return on the sale of the properties and therefore reduce the size of the affordable housing stock? Will the true locals benefit from the organisers plans for the area? Many of the answers to these questions can be considered by studying past Games’ experiences, particularly lessons to be learnt from Barcelona and Sydney. Several in-depth interviews with stakeholders of the Games have been conducted, using stakeholder theory for the theoretical underpinning (Friedman and Miles, 2002). A phenomenological stance is taken as it is an approach that focuses on how life is experienced and the use of interviews from past-Games will help with predicting what could happen in London. It is the perceptions, meanings, attitudes and feelings that are important to discuss as these experiences tell a story. Whilst the interviews were conducted by city, the semi-structured approach to interview protocol has allowed each interview to be iterative, in that new themes emerging are included in subsequent interviews. The sampling is purposive, whereby each interviewee has a role within the Olympic planning from the perspective of the local community. The data from the interviews has been analysed via thematic analysis, using Ritchie and Spencer’s Framework (1994)

Implications and Issues for London Site Residents

The Olympic Delivery Authority have agreed to undertake in the process of organizing the London 2012 Games, one of the biggest urban regeneration projects seen in Europe for many years, destined to create a new town the size of Exeter once the Games have finished (ODA, 2006). Through examining past Olympic Games, this paper explores some of the soft legacy implications of the London 2012 Games and in particular the fate of the only ‘residents’ being relocated from the Olympic Site, twenty-one traveller families. The paper concludes with a discussion on how legacy can be sustainable and for the benefit of the whole community rather than particular sections

Long-term legacy implications for Olympic Games

Celebrations have been occurring throughout history from the commemoration of phases of the moon, to historical and cultural festivals in addition to life cycle celebrations of birth, marriage and death. Events came about through the commercialisation of popular celebrations and in the UK as our population becomes more culturally diverse, so do the events appearing showing diversifying into the leisure and every aspect of people’s everyday lives. All these events have impacts and legacies and the larger the size of event the greater these ‘consequences’, with the Olympics having the greatest impacts and legacies. These large scale events also have major benefits including destination image and urban developments, the legacy left behind after the event is held. In order for these benefits to maximise the long-term potential, legacy planning as early as possible is paramount. Case studies of the Sydney Games show that whilst they have been known as ‘the best games ever’ their legacy planning post the games, beginning in 2000, were negligible and the consequences of this are on-going. For the organisers of the Barcelona 1992 Games, their built environment and the re-modelling of the city, was part of a larger scale long-term redevelopment and their legacy planning was part of an overall vision for the city. What appears to be a long-term strategic plan for London, especially in relation to the social impacts of the four main boroughs involved in the staging of the 2012 Games, could become known as the ‘London’ model of urban rejuvenation for future mega-event planners, particularly in relation to the long-term future legacy. This chapter sets put to evaluate the lessons learned from the past Games of Sydney and Barcelona in relation to legacy planning, especially the social consequences, and the ‘best-practice’ lessons to be incorporated within the London 2012 planning in relation to future long-term legacies. London won the right to host the 2012 games on the basis of their regeneration plans for an area of London in socially deprived conditions. All the ‘paper’ promises within the bid document talk of the major regeneration project with the associated large scale spend on infrastructure, it is vital that the promises are turned into long-term viable legacy

Plannning for Resort Regeneration: The role of the Olympic 2012 bid for Weymouth and Portland, Dorset

Events have become increasingly popular as tourist attractions, contributing to the opportunity for resort regeneration (Law, 1993). The ability to increase civic pride, community spirit and collective self-image through the hosting of events and the associated urban regeneration has only recently begun to be considered within the UK. This paper will analyse the potential participation of the various stakeholders in planning for resort regeneration. There needs to be three levels for successful tourism planning; national, regional strategic and local with all three levels being integrated to produce an adoptable strategic vision (Gunn, 1994). Feasibility studies should take a holistic approach, looking beyond the economic impacts and gather information regarding communities and special interest groups and if used effectively will develop good community relations, thereby overcoming objections (Getz, 1997). Furthermore, events should play a role in the destination tourism plan and that sound planning should accompany the pursuit of events rather than the irrationality often seen. The significance of events to schemes of urban regeneration has been recognised by the UK Government as seen in the £55m given to Manchester in 1994 to support its unsuccessful Olympic Bid but utilised for the hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2002. This paper is based upon an MSc dissertation completed in 2004 for a Tourism and Planning Management Degree. The research was carried out in Weymouth and Portland, Dorset with the assistance of the Local Council, Chamber of Commerce, Sailing Authorities, Citizen’s Panel and individual citizens via questionnaires and interviews. The local council have drawn up comprehensive plans to ensure the potential hosting of the sailing element of the 2012 bid will have positive long-term legacies for the area. It is acknowledged that the area is in need of regeneration and a poll of residents had a 42% response rate. The local council recognise the significance of hosting festivals and events not only as generators of income but also as civic celebrations

Proud to be British: An auto-ethnographic study of working as a Games Maker at London 2012

This auto-ethnographic study of working as a Games Maker at London 2012, demonstrates the motivational challenges behind volunteering for an event nearly two years in the future and the issues this causes. The task of keeping 70,000 international volunteers motivated over a long time frame, whilst not providing any financial incentive, was a huge risk and investment yet the response from athletes, media and the general public when the Games ended was that the Games Makers were the a vital part of the success of London 2012. This study shows how the initial stages of the volunteer programme suggest that even though the author was pre-selected, the generic training, primary knowledge exchange and pre-Games engagement were potential de-motivators. It was only once that the role-specific and venue training was undertaken, that the volunteer enthusiasm returned. This study follows a personal journey of one such volunteer. The paper modifies Bang and Chelladurai’s original motivational pull theory, by arguing through an auto-ethnographic study, that motivations will change over the timescale of the volunteer experience and involvement. It does this in contrast to previous studies that have favoured quantitative methods, with data collected at one point in time as opposed to this study which captures motivation over a 24 month period

The Impacts of Mega-events held at Satellite Venues - case study of Weymouth & Portland, possible Olympic sailing venue in 2012

The mega-event industry is growing internationally with a diverse portfolio ranging from the “Spectacle Par Excellence” of the Olympic games through to cultural celebrations and historical anniversaries. To gain long-term benefits from the hosting of mega-events, it is imperative to plan effectively and well in advance. The lack of plans or poor planning, are significant and often result in negative impacts rather than positive legacies. Whilst attention is often focussed on the main centre of activity of the mega-event, there are often cases, especially the Olympics, where satellite sites are required to host events. Often this is due to the existence of already established, world class sporting facilities or for historical reasons as seen in the 2004 Athens Olympics. This dissertation investigates the impacts seen at satellite sites and will attempt to argue the case for future mega-events, especially the Olympics, to capitalise on existing facilities rather than build new, thereby avoiding the possibility of incurring long-term financial burdens. Furthermore, to ascertain if the impacts of hosting mega-events at satellite sites have less of a negative impact than at newly constructed sites. It also evaluates the importance given to tourism planning and the roles local communities can play alongside non-governmental organisations are also discussed, as are the opportunities for urban regeneration. The research is based at Weymouth & Portland, Dorset, and the potential venue of the Sailing Competition of the 2012 London bid

Mega-events, community stakeholders and legacy: London 2012.

This study highlights the treatment of the smaller stakeholders for whom the social legacy impacts are potentially the greatest within mega-event planning. The aim of this research is to develop a framework of urban regeneration legacy associated with the hosting of mega-events where the local community are key stakeholders, and where they can gain long-term positive social legacies. Mega-events, such as the Olympic Games, are widely held to bring a variety of positive social benefits through the process of urban regeneration. This research is built around the development of a conceptual framework of social legacy impacts arising from the urban regeneration planned through hosting the Olympic Games. Social legacy impacts, also referred to as soft impacts, are those which are intangible and affect individuals within their everyday lives in the longer term. This research is concerned with the social legacy impacts of The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the ‘community’ (being defined as those, who have either lived, worked or have some social connection with the area within the proposed Olympic Park site) in the Lower Lea Valley site in east London, and how they have or have not been recognised as stakeholders. A stakeholder being an individual or group who will be affected by the actions, decisions or policies of the Games organisers, within the planning of the Games. Key informant interviews have been undertaken with individuals who have had a stake in the planning of the Barcelona Games of 1992, Sydney Games of 2000 and the planning of the London 2012 Games. Each interview involved a semi-structured conversation, encouraging the interviewees to recount their experiences of the planning of these mega-events from the perspectives of the communities involved and the social legacy planning. Interviews were analysed thematically. The main themes to emerge focus on legacy identification, community identification, the importance of regeneration for the existing community, the need to identify power relationships and the need for knowledge transfer and experience. The study shows that, for some ‘communities’, the opportunity to gain positive social benefits are too late as they themselves have already been relocated. The study has developed the Olympic Legacy Management Stakeholder framework to help communities to become more active as stakeholders within future mega-event planning through, amongst other things, recognising the different power relationships that exist