In the shift from industrial cities of production to post-industrial cities of consumption, global cities, and urban spaces have transformed economically, socially and politically over the past decade. As defined by Thorns, a global city is a city that serves as an international center for the flow of capital, laborers, access to information and commodities (Thorns, 2002). London, the capital of England, is one of the forefront examples of a successful global, post-industrial city. As an international trading hub, London is branded as a city rich in history, diversity, creative ideas, and strongly respected culture (World Cities Culture Forum, 2010). Transitioning from the Industrial Revolution in Britain into a global post-industrial city,
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Starting in 2005, the bidding processes began to select an eligible city to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. Competing against five other global, post-industrial cities, London, England was selected to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. As the chosen host for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the city of London highlights the social, economic and cultural benefits of planning, production and execution of a major global event on a world stage. As a global, post-industrial city embodying the morals and values of the Olympic Games, the hosting of a global sporting event assisted in increased tourism, local redevelopment of poor areas, urban renewal, and sustainability of infrastructure for London, as well as the rest of the United Kingdom and Europe. This paper will focus on the benefits of hosting a global event in a global, post-industrial city, emphasizing the impact of branding practices and commodification of the urban space, while specifically focusing on the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the imposed effects of the spectacle upon the city space during and concluding the …show more content…
By hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, the city of London capitalized on the chance to display their host city and country as a top tourist destination (Wells, 2012). In the time leading up to the games and during the games, excited spectators, locals and outside tourists, invested time and money into attending the Games. This increase in tourism led to cultural and economic benefits for the city of London due to the large scale of the global event and constant media coverage of all aspects of the
Starting in 2005, the bidding processes began to select an eligible city to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. Competing against five other global, post-industrial cities, London, England was selected to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. As the chosen host for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the city of London highlights the social, economic and cultural benefits of planning, production and execution of a major global event on a world stage. As a global, post-industrial city embodying the morals and values of the Olympic Games, the hosting of a global sporting event assisted in increased tourism, local redevelopment of poor areas, urban renewal, and sustainability of infrastructure for London, as well as the rest of the United Kingdom and Europe. This paper will focus on the benefits of hosting a global event in a global, post-industrial city, emphasizing the impact of branding practices and commodification of the urban space, while specifically focusing on the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the imposed effects of the spectacle upon the city space during and concluding the …show more content…
By hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, the city of London capitalized on the chance to display their host city and country as a top tourist destination (Wells, 2012). In the time leading up to the games and during the games, excited spectators, locals and outside tourists, invested time and money into attending the Games. This increase in tourism led to cultural and economic benefits for the city of London due to the large scale of the global event and constant media coverage of all aspects of the