Mega-Events and Housing Costs: Raising the Rent while Raising the Roof?

This paper examines the relationship between hosting mega-events such as the Super Bowl, Olympics, and World Cup and rental housing prices in host cities. If mega-events are amenities for local residents, then rental housing prices can serve as a proxy for estimating residents’ willingness to pay for these amenities. An analysis of rental prices in a panel of American cities from 1993-2005 fails to find a consistent impact of mega-events on rental prices. When controls are placed on the regression models to account for nationwide annual fluctuations in rental prices, mega-events generally exhibit little impact on rental prices in cities as a whole and are as likely to reduce rental prices as increase them. Somewhat stronger evidence exists, however, that mega-events affect rental prices outside of the center city in a fundamentally different manner than in the city core.sports, stadiums, franchises, impact analysis, mega-event, housing

Global climate change and solutions for urban sustainability of Ho CHi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the largest city in Vietnam, is steadily growing, certainly towards a mega city in the near future. Like other mega cities at the boom stage, it has to face with serious environmental matters insolvable for many years. The situation may be worse under the effects of global climate change, geological subsidence due to non-standard construction and sea level rise. The situation of HCMC can be damaged or even broken by resonant effects of unsolved environmental matters and latent impacts of climate change. This article shows the challenges to the urban sustainable development under the duo effect of urban environmental matters and climate change in Ho Chi Minh City. Opportunities and strategic directions to overcome the challenges are also analyzed and recommended

Can New Orleans Play Its Way Past Katrina? The Role of Professional Sports in the Redevelopment of New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans in late August 2005, and debates are now underway across the country concerning strategies for reconstructing the City. A key to redevelopment involves encouraging former citizens and businesses to return. Both of New Orleans’s professional sports teams, the National Football League Saints and the National Basketball Association Hornets, have taken up residence in other cities, and the question of what the city should provide in the way of financial accommodation to encourage them to return should be considered in devising a reconstruction plan. Infrastructure to facilitate professional sports and mega-events constitutes a significant fraction of capital budgets for even the largest cities. New Orleans has hosted a disproportionate share of mega-sports events in the United States given its size and demographics. An important question concerns whether these events have contributed enough to the New Orleans economy to justify reinvestment in infrastructure to restore New Orleans’s place as a leading host of professional sports and mega-events in the United States. A careful review of the evidence suggests that the redevelopment efforts of New Orleans are better directed at first providing infrastructure that will encourage the return of its middle class citizenry and the restoration of its culture. Playing host to professional sports and mega-events does have symbolic significance, but it is arguable that the city cannot afford to invite guests until it has the means to accommodate them.sports, public finance, economic impact, New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina

Can New Orleans Play Its Way Past Katrina? The Role of Professional Sports in the Redevelopment of New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans in late August 2005, and debates are now underway across the country concerning strategies for reconstructing the City. Both of New Orleans’s professional sports teams, the National Football League Saints and the National Basketball Association Hornets, left the city in the wake of the storm, and the question of what the city should provide in the way of financial accommodation to encourage them to return should be considered in devising a reconstruction plan. New Orleans has hosted a disproportionate share of mega-sports events in the United States given its size and demographics. An important question concerns whether these events have contributed enough to the New Orleans economy to justify reinvestment in infrastructure to restore New Orleans’s place as a leading host of professional sports and mega-events in the United States. This paper examines the economic impact of professional sports on the New Orleans economy and concludes that the redevelopment efforts of New Orleans are better directed at first providing infrastructure that will encourage the return of its middle class citizenry and the restoration of its culture. Playing host to professional sports and mega-events does have symbolic significance, but it is arguable that the city cannot afford to invite guests until it has the means to accommodate them.sports, public finance, economic impact, New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina

Influence of Radio in Shaping Public Perception of Lagos State’s Mega City Project: A Study of Residents of Ikeja and Surulere Local Government Areas

The study examined the influence of radio in shaping public perception of Lagos State's Mega City Project. The study population was drawn from the residents of Ikeja and Surulere Local Government Areas of the State. Lagos State is the most populated city in Nigeria, estimated at about 21 million people. In order to be amongst the countries of the world which are termed as mega cities, Lagos commenced her own mega city project in 1999. The Project is ongoing. The study aimed to: ascertain the level of exposure to the radio medium by residents of Ikeja and Surulere Local Government Areas; determine the frequency of exposure of the residents to reports on the Lagos Mega City Project; and ascertain the views of the residents concerning the Project. Theoretical leanings of the study centred on two theories of the mass media - Agenda Setting and Developmental Media. The research method adopted was survey, through the instrumentality of questionnaire. Purposive sampling was used to sample 100 respondents from the local government areas, which had a return rate of 99%. The data gathered and analysed showed that majority of the respondents listen to radio (76.8%) while the others (23.2%) responded otherwise. Also, a higher percentage of respondents listen to radio occasionally (32.6%) compared to other respondents. In terms of awareness of the Lagos Mega City Project, 73.7% of respondents affirmed to be aware while 25.3% were unaware. Radio was the medium through which the respondents received information concerning the Project (32.9%). Majority of the respondents (67.1%) perceived the Project as a welcome development, 8.2% do not like the Project, and 19.2% were indifferent towards it. In terms of understanding the Project, 70.3% of the respondents said they did, but 16.2% did not, while 13.5% were indifferent. Findings revealed that radio is a veritable medium of communication and that the audience is aware of the mega city project and have a good understanding of the Project by the government. The paper recommended that the government should intensify awareness using various means of communication at the grassroots, give priority to feedbacks from citizens on how the Project affects them, and to partner with foreign investors to achieve the mega city dream. Keywords: Lagos, mega city, development, urba

Volunteers and mega sporting events : developing a research framework

Interest in all aspects of the politics, financing, planning, management and operation of mega sporting events has been highlighted both by success stories and ongoing problems associated with Olympic Games, Football World Cups and other similar events. There is a growing literature that addresses these and related matters through both case history and comparative analyses. Within the context of mega sporting events, the issue of employment creation is an important motivator for host cities and features high on the political justification agenda for bids to host events. At the same time, the most significant working contribution to major mega events in sports, as in other areas, is provided by the very large numbers of volunteers who undertake tasks across the range of opportunities afforded by such events. Numbers of volunteers between 40,000 and 60,000 have been noted for some recent major events. Relatively little is known about these volunteers at mega sporting events and yet their contribution and wider impact is very significant, both to the events themselves and within the host community. This paper seeks to identify the evident gaps that exist in understanding areas such as what volunteers do at mega sporting events; who they are; what motivates them; how volunteering impacts upon their lives; what associated activities they do surrounding the event in the host city; and the extent to which volunteering is recidivistic. The paper concludes with the presentation of a tentative research framework agenda in order to guide future study of this important area

No More Empty Stadiums: A Meta Analysis of Mega Sporting Events and Their Economic Impact

Mega sporting events have faced increased scrutiny in recent decades for their negative economic impacts, externalities, and environmental effects. As multimillion dollar stadiums lay abandoned and future host city bids are withdrawn as public opinion on mega sporting events worsens with time, economists, governing bodies, and sports fans worry about the future locations of these massive sports festivals. In my thesis, I will conduct a meta analysis of articles measuring the various impacts and effects of hosting a mega sporting event. I will begin by performing an extensive literature review of the various factors contributing to a mega sporting event’s legacy and will summarize how each determines the overall success (or failure) of the host city. Next, the results of each of the sources will be analyzed, formulating a perspective on the current state of mega sporting events’ economic viabilities for their host cities. Finally, discussion about the results of the literature and will provide my own recommendations and solutions about optimizing the MSE for its host city

Evaluation of biodegradable waste quality by drying for exploring the possibilities of a potential renewable energy source in Yangon city, Myanmar

Biodegradable waste to fuel becomes a potential renewable energy source to gain environmental and economic benefits in the world. To explore the opportunities of a potential renewable energy source from the biodegradable wastes in Yangon city, the study collected 12 different waste samples from the four districts of Yangon and evaluated the composition of the collected wastes. Then, the study assessed their moisture contents by Halogen Moisture Analyzer and dried 23 prepared waste samples (100 grams, 300 grams and 500 grams in mass) by Binder Laboratory Heating and Drying Oven at 105 degrees C. The study also analyzed the effect of moisture reduction in volume reduction, weight reduction and heating value increase of the biodegradable waste samples after drying. The results showed that about 50% of moisture reduction could contribute approximately 25% of volume reduction, 40% of weight reduction and 200% of heating value increase (initially approximately from 3 Mega joules per kilogram to 8 Mega joules per kilogram). Therefore, if drying could be conducted with a renewable source such as solar energy and a waste heat source from industrial sectors, the dried biodegradable wastes could be beneficial in the energy and environment sector of Yangon city. The objective of the study was to estimate the biodegradable waste quality of Yangon city by drying for a future potential renewable energy source.Web of Science842034202

Gendering cities of culture : city/capital of culture mega-events and the potential for gender equality

In the context of the transformative ambitions of event-based, culture-led urban regeneration, this thesis interrogates the production of cultures of gender equality in City/ Capital of Culture mega-events. Inspired by Donostia/ San Sebastián as European Capital of Culture in 2016 and analysed in detail in Hull’s celebration of the UK City of Culture in 2017, the investigation seeks to understand the relevance of socio-cultural values in the celebration of art, culture and heritage in the urban context. The investigation analyses the City/ Capital of Culture mega-events through a conceptualisation of their socio-cultural significance, which is informed by liminal and carnivalesque event characteristics.Relating to the politics, practices and perceptions of gender equality in mega-events, the research is based on an ethnographic study of six equality- themed events in the field sites of Hull and Donostia/ San Sebastián. The analysis develops from a relational reading of the two sites: due to its strong emphasis on negotiations of socio-cultural values, Donostia/ San Sebastián informs my research focus in Hull.Through this study, I argue for an understanding of City/ Capital of Culture mega-events as ‘contested spaces’ (O’Callaghan, 2012: 201), in which socio-cultural values and, in particular, cultures of gender equality are negotiated. My analysis highlights that the investigated mega-events embrace the complexities of the production of cultures of gender equality as they give voice to different meanings. Rather than a singular notion of equality, cultures of gender equality are celebrated in their plurality through the City/ Capital of Culture framework. I also interrogate the role of audiences as crucial contributors to the meaning-making process of festivals, events and celebrations. Encounters and dynamics with equality are central to the negotiations of socio-cultural values in City/ Capital of Culture mega-events. Beyond audience engagements and content productions, my investigation explores how infrastructures frame the celebrations of equality and can determine the contested spaces of City/ Capital of Culture mega-events as sites for negotiations of socio-cultural values and productions of cultures of gender equality