Fleur Huisman
Management in the Built Environment
Eurovision Song Contest 2020 as a catalyst for urban renewal - A research about short-term cultural events to increase positive impacts for the city and local communities
Cities cope with the problem of increasing demand for housing due to urbanisation, while trying to maintain and improve its attractiveness and city image. Improving attractiveness and the city image can be achieved by urban renewal. An event can succeed in catalysing urban renewal, by strategically planning the event. After the Netherlands won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in May 2019 in Tel Aviv, the city of Rotterdam was chosen as the host city of the ESC 2020 in Ahoy Rotterdam. This event could be an opportunity for Rotterdam to positively impact the renewal of Rotterdam-Zuid and indirectly improve the city’s attractiveness and image. This research aims to explore and understand the benefits of hosting cultural events, like the Eurovision Song Contest, in relation to their contribution to urban renewal. Based on the defined problem, the following main question is formed for this research: 'Which elements when hosting a cultural great event could positively impact and catalyse urban renewal?'