The Impact Of Multi-Sport Events On The Developmental Dynamics Of Cities: The Case Of Erzurum, Trabzon and Mersin In Turkey

Abstract

Nowadays, in Turkey as well as in other parts of the world the tendency of hosting mega events has increased owing to the employment of particularly branding promotion, marketing, and attracting investment funds as a tool for the local and regional development. This strategy has become an important tool of urban and regional development in the countries suffering from de-industrialization, and it has been widely used in the respective countries to trigger the economic development for the last 30 years. Some of the cities in Turkey have been hosting some of these international events since the mid 2000s. Within this context, this study elaborates the impacts of Erzurum, Trabzon and Mersin multi-sport events recently hold in Turkey. Overall, in this paper, it is aimed to unveil the extent of the rapid urban development and transformation desired by the central and local governments with the help of the mega events by focusing on the effects of the events concerned in the respective cities. The study portrays the physical, economical and socio-cultural change and transformations in urban fabric and space before, during, and after the Games period. By focusing on the planning and management of the projects realized in order to hold the events, the opportunities created for the development of the cities hosting the events will be examined within a critical context. The impact of such mega-events on the urban change are explored in terms of not only planning and management of the projects, but also the proper use and management of the infrastructures built as part of these events.