A research conducted by Maennig and Plessis (2009) evaluated how infrastructural projects trigger positive changes in development as a result of the upcoming major sporting events. They inquired whether such effects were driven towards attaining urban development through assessing a project in Durban. Therefore, these researchers identified whether the due effects could facilitate the use of unique architectural techniques when building new stadia. In fact, such events as FIFA were held in nations with the motivation to maintain suitable and classic sports’ infrastructure. They made arguments on the basis of the economic advantages that previous nations held during such events. The description of these economic advantages marked by the improvement of GDP from other nations had been described from other nations. It had been described that iconic structures were being made the mark of urban development before the mega-event commenced. The researchers argued from the dimension of unique stadium designs where architectural reforms were made to formulate the establishment of the venue before the FIFA 2010 in South Africa. The assessment did not only review the strategic position of the stadium, but also evaluated the plans and concepts applied to make it a local, regional, national, and international destination for the mega-events. However, the main focus of the evaluation was centered on the non-pecuniary advantages related to the events including political effects, national pride, short-term financial benefits and economic prowess. The funds applied for the construction of the stadia were far much less than the amount expected after holding the event. They concluded that short-term income or employment could not arise from the events. However, long-term achievements on urban development could arise prior to the new construction of the stadium.
This article reviews various empirical studies to retrieve information where proper citation and referencing have been used. It is an informative research article that assesses these studies to determine whether the event-hosting have positive effects on the urban development. The images of design have been availed to show how it appears from various dimensions in the discussion. However, the review does not indicate how many empirical sources were evaluated to approve the idea. It makes arguments from one dimension where the stadium is the prototype developmental feature within the urban region. Furthermore, the arguments are made as common discussions without sample selections and comparisons to affirm the validity of information presented. Finally, the appropriate format of empirical studies involving scholarly research materials is not followed. The information has been entered without order, which makes it hard to isolate the methodologies, literature, results, and conclusions among others. In fact, the abstract does not elaborate how the research to answer the questions is performed. The use of first person on writing the article shows opinionated attributes that may limit the generalization of ideas.
The information about urban development in relation to sport’s mega-events is coherent and related to my topic of study. Sports lead to urban development and improve the social state of the nation. Therefore, it is imperative to establish solid strategies of facilitating positive changes in sports. This attribute can allow countries to unite and interact to make reliable global networks of development. Furthermore, understanding the core purposes of holding sports mega-events and the opportunities that arise with them is an unexceptional factor in the development. Consequently, it should be assessed as a potential reference for future research.
Reference
Maennig, W., & Plessis, S. (2009). Sport Stadia, Sporting Events and Urban Development: International Experience and the Ambitions of Durban. Urban Forum, 20(5), 61-76.