Culture-led regeneration has been widely accepted by European cities as an important component of urban renewal and sustainable development. However, the instrumental role of culture in urban regeneration has revealed several controversies. The study aims at contributing to the debate on urban cultural policy and management by answering two research questions: What are the key success factors for sustainable culture-led regeneration? How can cities strike a balance between the dilemmas of culture-led regeneration? Based on a case study of Liverpool as the 2008 European Capital of Culture, this research draws on long-term and multi-faceted data. The study period is from 2007 to 2018, with a view to tracking the long-term impact of event. Liverpool’s strategies for sustainable culture-led regeneration are investigated from three aspects: cultural funding dilemma, economic dilemma and spatial dilemma. The findings reveal that incorporating events in a city’s long-term regeneration trajectory, continued support and enhancement of local cultural processes and structures, and highlighting community involvement and development are major factors to ensure the cultural sustainability of event.

Sustainable events mean that the direct and indirect effects of events can be maintained. Planning legacy is becoming an important way to ensure the sustainability of events. Although the legacy of hosting major events is gaining interest among event researchers, a handful of empirical studies tried to discuss the articulation between event sustainability and legacy planning. This study contributes, therefore, to this line of enquiry. Based on the case of Helsinki as the 2012 World Design Capital, this paper aims to investigate the legacy plan of Helsinki, the perceptions of key stakeholders regarding the legacy outcomes, the determinants of legacy planning and its challenges. Methodologically, this paper is based on research conducted using a case study. The data collected are mainly qualitative and inductive in nature, supplemented by official documents and online resources. The study underlines that the integration of design into public administration, embedding design thinking, enhancing city image, reinforcing networking and the formulation of design policy are the main legacy outcomes. Also, the experience of Helsinki illustrates that legacy planning must consider three key factors-leadership in governance, communication with public, as well as timing and time, so as to create more sustainable longer-term effects.