- The Impact of Big Bang Events    click here to open paper content22 kb
by    Milionis, Sotirios | milionis@central.ntua.gr   click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper
Short Outline
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which big bang events are able to contribute to the sustainable development of the host city. In order to pursue the aforementioned aim, the case study of the World EXPO ’98 in Lisbon will be examined and analysed.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which big bang events are able to contribute to the sustainable development of the host city. In order to pursue the aforementioned aim, the case study of the World EXPO ’98 in Lisbon will be employed. In 1998, Lisbon and Portugal received visitors to the World Exhibition from all over the world. To stage and manage such an event required considerable organising capacity, not least as one of the least appealing parts of the capital had been chosen for its location. The choice was consistent, however, with a well-considered vision of and strategy for the future of the city. The main issues that arise in this case are related not only to the number of visitors, but more importantly, to the social and economic effects of hosting the EXPO. The essential questions that come up at this point can be summarised as follows: How far has the event helped to make Lisbon more attractive? What has the EXPO meant for the image of Lisbon and Portugal? What are the great challenges for the coming years? This paper will attempt to shed some light on how Lisbon and Portugal have made use of the World Exhibition to increase their appeal to residents, companies and visitors.
Lisbon in close cooperation with the Portuguese government, seized the opportunity offered by the hosting of the World Exhibition (EXPO ’98) to win international renown and at the same time convert the city’s most run down industrial area into a new modern urban centre with a mix of high grade functions and excellent accessibility. As regards the impact of EXPO ’98 on the two main aspects of a city’s structure, that is, the economic and the social ones, the main findings of this paper are that the economic structure has greatly improved. The city enjoys an increasing popularity as a fairs and convention city, and more and more business tourists also have discovered it. Leisure tourism has also benefited from the EXPO as it successfully promoted Lisbon as a tourist destination and attracted more visitors to the city than usual. The former industrial quarters of the city that have recently been revitalised are developing fast into the second centre of Lisbon. As far as the social structure is concerned, one of the immediate effects of hosting the EXPO was the inspiration of feelings of pride and self-confidence among the Portuguese population. The improvement of the living and location environment especially within the revitalised area is considered to be a positive social effect.

Keywords
EXPO '98
Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2002: The Pulsar Effect
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