CLAUDINO FERREIRA

(Sociologist; Lecturer at Faculty of Economics - University of Coimbra; Researcher at Centro de Estudos Sociais – University of Coimbra)

 

Big events, tourism and cultural regeneration of cities

An essay on Lisbon’s Expo’98 and Porto 2001 – European City of Culture

 

Abstract:

The paper addresses from a critical perspective the way big cultural and tourist events are used as tolls for cultural and urban regeneration of cities. It elaborates on two recent Portuguese experiences: Lisbon’s Expo’98 and Porto 2001 – European City of Culture. The instrumental virtues and limits of these events are both discussed and considered in relation to their specific nature and the conditions underlying their organisation. Three questions are highlighted: first, the tension between the events’ typified layout and the local prospects; second, the sustainability of induced cultural and tourist dynamics; third, the investment in city image marketing and its consequences on cultural and urban policies.