“Festivalisation” of Urban Governance in South African Cities: Framing the Urban Social Sustainability of Mega-Event Driven Development from Below

Abstract

This article is based on field research in two South African host cities of the Men's Football World Cup 2010 (eThekwini and Johannesburg). The discussed work is part of the research project "Festivalisation" of Urban Governance: The Production of Socio-Spatial Control in the Context of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. In the context of mega-events, impacts and changes on urban development can vary on a spectrum of festivalisation between opposing poles, either-driven by the event‖, or on the other hand where existing configurations of actors and established policies are-driving the event‖. By drawing on a theoretical framework which is inspired by an analytical understanding of urban governance, our assumptions are that (a) different configurations of governance promote different ways of handling the challenges associated to the hosting and (b) that different types of-festivalisation‖ have different consequences and effects for the lived realities of the residents at a local level. The latter is an arena in which urban governance policies are translated, adapted, renegotiated or rejected. We argue that the bringing together of both spheres (local and metropolitan) provides a profound understanding of the process of mega-event implementation and its relation to urban social sustainability.

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“…This arena of transformation, characterised by a multitude of competing actors each taking an interest in shaping the city the way they dim fit, is sometimes profoundly influenced by external triggers and events. This process has been termed 'urban festivalisation' [33]. It must be noted, however, that there is no such thing as 'the' African urbanisation process.…”

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“…As the place evolves it becomes a blend of geographical, physical, sociological and psychological features (Roult, Adjizian & Auger 2016) of socio-spatial experience from the inside (Chatzidakis et al 2018). A place then becomes a totality of physical and cultural features, its people, synergies and contrasts it presents, its ambiance and experiences it offers (Ghoomi et al 2015:276) allowing people to form flexible settings to order and experience as they choose (Baldacchino 2012;Fleischer et al 2013;Massey, Allen & Sarre 1999).…”

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“…Other pillars of sustainability, such as the economic [92][93][94][95] or social sustainability [96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103], attract less individual attention, even though they are equally important to consider as the environmental issues because they are all interrelated. However, several studies consider these topics under the study approach of multisectoral legacies [3,14,19,22,[104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120], with "legacy" as one of the most important concepts in the conception of SMEs.…”

“…Africa 2010 [14,19,48,49,54,66,69,71,82,96,99,115,116,123] and Brazil 2014 [20,30,38,50,51,133] prompted many studies, probably due to the realization of WCs in developing countries (unlike Germany [18,46,47]). Both 2010 and 2014 WCs could help assess how sustainability and legacies work in such contexts.…”

“…Potentially more remarkable is how the studies focus on social topics in Qatar, how the Qatari society could change to be more inclusive because of the WC [67], the residents' perceptions and expectations of what could be changed [98], and the need to address problems related to migrant workers and labor abuses [97]. Additionally, we can see an interest in exploring how the 2022 WC could provide business South Africa 2010 [14,19,48,49,54,66,69,71,82,96,99,115,116,123] and Brazil 2014 [20,30,38,50,51,133] prompted many studies, probably due to the realization of WCs in developing countries (unlike Germany [18,46,47]). Both 2010 and 2014 WCs could help assess how sustainability and legacies work in such contexts.…”