The urban impact of such landmark events as Olympics and world's fairs usually has been evaluated by focusing on aspects of urban renewal or planning, and they usually are understood as representative of elitist interests because of the resulting visibility and economic growth. Examining the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics with a sociological focus reveals that through an interactive process involving urban residents, this elitist event became a more populist urban festival. The result is a new perspective on the urban meaning of such landmark events, illustrating that positive emotions can be sustained in cities, in contrast to the usual negative emotions that are produced by urban problems.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Arnold, A. , A. Fischer, J. Hatch, and B. Paix. 1989. The Grand Prix, road accidents and the philosophy of hallmark events. In The planning and evaluation of hallmark events, edited by G. J. Syme, B. J. Shaw, P. M. Fenton, and W. S. Mueller, 186-194. Aldershot, England: Avebury Press.
2.
Artibise, A. F. J.1981. Boosterism and the development of prairie cities 1871-1913. In Town and City: Aspects of Western Canadian urban development, edited by A.F.J. Artibise, 209-236. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center.
3.
Benedict, B. , ed. 1983. The anthropology of world s fairs. Berkeley, CA: Scholar Press.
4.
Bullard, R. D.1987. Invisible Houston: The black experience in boom and bust. College Station: Texas A&M Univ. Press.
5.
Burd, G.1969. The mass media in urban society. In The quality of urban life, edited by H. J. Schmandt and W. Bloomberg, 293-322. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
6.
Burns, J.P.A. , J. H. Hatch, and T. J. Mules. 1986. The Adelaide Grand Prix: The impact of a special event. Adelaide: Centre for South Australian Economic Studies.
7.
Centre for Applied and Business Research, University of Western Australia . 1987. America's Cup Defence Series, 1986-87: Impact on the community. Nedlands, Western Australia: Author.
8.
Cowie, I.1989. Possible measures to protect private tenants. In The planning and evaluation of hallmark events, edited by G. J. Syme, B. J. Shaw, D. M. Fenton, and W. S. Mueller, 81-91. Aldershot, England: Avebury Press.
9.
Della Betta, A. J. , D. L. Loudon, G. G. Booth, and R. R. Weeks. 1977. Estimating the economic impact of a short-term tourist event. Journal of Travel Research16:10-15.
10.
Duvignaud, J.1976. Festivals: A sociological approach. Cultures3:15-25.
11.
Espy, R.1979. The politics of the Olympic games. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.
12.
Feagin, J.1983. The urban real estate game. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
13.
Feagin, J. , and H. Hahn. 1973. Ghetto revolts: The politics of violence in American cities. New York: Macmillan.
14.
Gottdiener, M.1985. The social production of urban space. Austin: Univ. of Texas Press.
15.
Gruneau, R.1984. Commercialism and the modern Olympics. In Five ring circus: Money, power and politics at the Olympic games, edited by A. Tomlinson and G. Whanne. London: Pluto Press.
16.
Heckscher, A.1977. Open spaces: The life of American cities. New York: Harper & Row.
17.
Hiller, H.1989. Impact and image: The convergence of urban factors in preparing for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. In The planning and evaluation of hallmark events, edited by G. J. Syme, B. J. Shaw, D. M. Fenton, and W. S. Mueller, 119-131. Aldershot, England: Avebury Press.
18.
Horna, J.L.A. , and A. D. Olmsted. 1989. Popular festivities during the 1988 winter Olympic games: Olympic pin trading. World Leisure and Recreation31:32-34.
19.
Irwin, J.1977. Scenes. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
20.
Jacobs, J.1961. The death and life of great American cities. New York: Random House.
21.
Kanin, D.1981. A political history of the Olympic games. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
22.
Karp, D. , G. P. Stone, and W. C. Yoels. 1977. Being urban: A social psychological view of city life. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath.
23.
Knack, R. E.1982. Knoxville's redevelopment ploy. Planning48:8-12.
24.
Konrad, H. W.1983. Barren bulls and charging cows: Cowboy celebrations in Copal and Calgary. In The celebration of society: Perspectives on contemporary cultural performance, edited by F. E. Manning, 145-164. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green Univ. Press.
25.
Ley, D. , and K. Olds. 1988. Landscape as spectacle: World's fairs and the culture of heroic consumption. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space6:191-212.
Lofland, L. H.1973. A world of strangers. New York: Basic Books.
28.
Logan, J. , and H. Molotch. 1987. Urban fortunes: The political economy of place. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.
29.
Manning, F. E.1983. Cosmos and chaos: Celebration in the modern world. In The celebration of society: Perspectives on contemporary cultural performance, edited by F. E. Manning, 3-30. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green Univ. Press.
30.
McDonald, M. J. , and W. B. Wheeler. 1983. Knoxville, Tennessee: Continuity and change in an Appalachian city. Knoxville: Univ. of Tennessee Press.
31.
McGahan, P.1986. Urban sociology in Canada. 2d ed.Toronto: Butterworths.
32.
Molotch, H.1976. The city as a growth machine: Toward a political economy of place. American Journal of Sociology82:309-332.
33.
Montgomery, R.1968. Hemisfair 68: Prologue to renewal. Architectural Forum (October): 85-88.
34.
Mullin, J. R.1972. World's fairs and their impact upon urban planning. Exchange bibliography no. 303. Council of Planning Librarians.
35.
Newman, P.W.G.1989. The impact of the America's Cup on Fremantle: An insider's view. In The planning and evaluation of hallmark events, edited by G. J. Syme, B. J. Shaw, D. M. Fenton, and W. S. Mueller, 46-58. Aldershot, England: Avebury Press.
36.
Official Report, XV Olympic Winter Games. 1988. Calgary: XV Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee.
37.
Olds, K. 1988. Planning for the housing impacts of a hallmark event: A case study of Expo 86. Master's thesis, School of Community and Regional Planning, University of British Columbia.
38.
Reasons, C.1984. It's just a game? The 1988 Winter Olympics. In Stampede City: Power and politics in the West, edited by C. Reasons, 123-146. Toronto: Between The Lines Publishers.
39.
Ritchie, J.R.B.1984. Assessing the impact of hallmark events: Conceptual and research issues. Journal of Travel Research23:2-11.
40.
Ritchie, J.R.B. , and D. Beliveau. 1974. Hallmark events: An evaluation of a strategic response to seasonality in the travel market. Journal of Travel Research14:14-20.
41.
Ritchie, J.R.B. , and M. Lyons. 1988. Olympulse 6: Survey of Calgary residents regarding the XV Olympic Winter Games. Calgary, Alberta: Institute of Transportation Studies.
42.
Rydell, R.1984. All the world's a fairChicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
43.
Sears, D.1973. The politics of violence: The new urban blacks and the Watts riots. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
44.
Selwood, H. J. , and C. Hall. 1986. The America's Cup: A hallmark tourist event. In Canadian studies of parks, recreation, and tourists in foreign lands. Occasional paper 11, edited by J. S. Marsh, 67-82. Peterborough, Ontario: Department of Geography, Trent University.
45.
Thorne, R. , and M. Munro-Clark. 1989. Hallmark events as an excuse for autocracy in urban planning: A case history. In The planning and evaluation of hallmark events, edited by G. S. Syme, B. H. Shaw, D. M. Fenton, and W. S. Mueller, 154-171. Aldershot, England: Avebury Press.
46.
Tuan, Y.1977. Space and place: The perspective of experience. London: Edward Arnold.
47.
Wallace, S. E.1980. The urban environment. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press.
48.
Whyte, W. H.1980. The social life of small urban spaces. Washington, DC: Conservation Foundation.
49.
Wohl, R. R. , and A. L. Strauss. 1958. Symbolic representation and the urban milieu. American Journal of Sociology63:523-532.
