Sport in the City

Sport is seen as an increasingly important dimension of civic planning programmes and has moved to the forefront of agendas for cities of the present and future. This has occurred as the barriers between so-called "high" and "popular" culture continue to disintegrate. Sport is no longer viewed in fundamentally oppositional terms to the arts but as an important dimension in plans for the cultural regeneration of cities. Urban regeneration through cultural means has moved steadily onto civic planning agendas in western nations since the 1980s, culture thus taking on increasing responsibility for the economic renewal of cities. Urban economic regeneration is most visible in the commercial rejuvenation of rundown city quarters where trendy bars and coffee houses have replaced shabby shop-fronts and taken over formerly grand buildings such as banks and even churches.^ More traditional cultural sites such as art galleries and museums have also undergone refurbishment construction in some cases and entered the commercial fray with the gift-shop becoming an integral part of the gallery visit as a cultural experience. This book examines sport within contexts of urban regeneration and looks at the place of sport within planning agendas for "cities of culture";. Relatedly, the role of sport stadiums in city "re-imaging" is addressed in regard to such matters as public funding, environmental impact and urban infrastructure. Contents: Race, Class and the Dynamics of Political Action in Stadium Development Costas Spirou. Creating a Post-Olympic City: the three way stretch between sport, arts and parkland Christine Burton. A Legacy Deeply Mired in Contradiction: Cricket World Cup2007 and its impact on the Caribbean Boria Majumdar. Power in the Stadium: the case of Aarhus John Bale. Sport and Regeneration: a winning combination Larissa Davies.^ Fitting a Square Stadium into a Round Hole: the rules of engagement in Dunedin's deliberation Michael Sam. The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame: civic representation of sporting and Olympic history Geoffery Zain Kohe. Olympic Bids: an exegesis of power Douglas Booth. SuperCity or Megalopolis: Will Alsop & rsquo;s vision and the place of sport John Hughson.