Scales of flows: Qatar and the urban legacies of mega events

Abstract

In 2022, Qatar will become the first Middle Eastern and Arab country to host such an important Mega-Event as the FIFA World Cup. Global cultural and sporting Mega Events have driven the urban transformation of cities such as Barcelona,London, Rio, Beijing, Shanghai, and Lisbon and the spectacle and economic boosterism encourages cities to compete on the World Stage for these events. The best practices of successful bids and their enduring legacies create a knowledge and policy flow of Mega Event strategies for global branding and sustainable Urban, Social, and Economic Development at the local and regional scales. This paper discusses the urban legacies that will result from Qatar hosting the World Cup and other Mega Events, and questions how an emerging global host city like Doha will benefit on the long and short term ©2013 Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research.