Hosting a mega event, a drive towards sustainable development: Dubai’s expo 2020

Abstract

The hosting of a mega event creates enormous demand for new buildings and facilities and requires the development of new urban areas and infrastructure. Therefore, it needs considerable investment and planning by government to finance the projects to build these new facilities. Notwithstanding this, the hosting of a mega event is an opportunity for the host country to attract investment for the construction of new buildings and facilities required for the event and it expedites the upgrading of its infrastructure and transportation network. The downside of hosting a mega event is its relatively short period and the financing pressures on the host country. One of the critical elements of hosting mega event is that the planning, during and post event must be integrated and in harmony with the overall strategic planning of the host city in order to deliver a sustainable and lasting legacy, to avoid the risk of redundant investment in new facilities, buildings and infrastructure. This research work examines and reviews the consideration given during the planning phase by Dubai, host city for Expo 2020, in its efforts to deliver a sustainable urban environment and create a lasting legacy beyond the event. Interviews with the event organizing authority, public transportation authority and major developers were carried out to collect data, understand the conceptual element of planning and examine the transport models employed and analysis that the RTA applied to determine the effectiveness of the planning tools used by the project authorities of Expo 2020.