Commodity city, shop-window cities, tourist city: the urban as spectacle in sports mega-events

Abstract

In the current restructuring of capital, cities begin to take responsibilities and initiatives that were previously restricted to the nation-state, becoming an indispensable element in the geographical organization of transnational big companies. This new protagonism of cities adopt values and neoliberal strategies, something that David Harvey (2005) identified and named “urban entrepreneurism” through policies that enhance competition between cities on the global stage. This model features dense confluence with the recent changes in the way cities prepare to host mega-events, especially the Olympics. Fabulous designs arise and result in greater visibility and tourist attractiveness to the cities. The relationship between tourism and major events is evident. However, little is known about the precise dimension of the real impact of these events on tourism, and how tourism itself contributes to the spectacular dimension of these large projects.