38 Planlama 2017;27(1):38–56 | doi: 10.14744/planlama.2016.43534 ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA The Impact of Multi-Sport Events on the Developmental Dynamics of Cities: the Case of Erzurum, Trabzon and Mersin in Turkey Türkiye’deki Çoklu Spor Organizasyonlarının Kentlerin Gelişimine Etkileri: Erzurum, Trabzon ve Mersin Örnekleri Servet Karaca, Burak Beyhan Department of City and Regional Planning, Mersin University Faculty of Architecture, Mersin, Turkey ABSTRACT ÖZ Nowadays, in Turkey as well as in other parts of the world the ten- Günümüzde, dünyanın başka bölgelerinde olduğu gibi Türkiye’de dency of hosting mega events has increased owing to the employ- de büyük ölçekli etkinliğe ev sahipliği yapma eğilimi, özellikle mar- ment of particularly branding promotion, marketing, and attracting kalaşma, tanıtım, pazarlama ve yatırım fonlarını, yerel ve bölgesel investment funds as a tool for the local and regional development. kalkınmanın bir aracı olarak kullanılmasıyla artmıştır. Bu strateji This strategy has become an important tool of urban and regional sanayisizleşme sorunu yaşayan ülkelerde kentsel ve bölgesel kal- development in the countries suffering from de-industrialization, kınmanın önemli bir aracı haline gelmiştir ve ilgili ülkelerde son and it has been widely used in the respective countries to trigger 30 yıldır ekonomik kalkınmayı tetiklemek için yaygın olarak kul- the economic development for the last 30 years. Some of the cit- lanılmaktadır. Türkiye’de kentlerin bazıları, 2000’li yılların orta- ies in Turkey have been hosting some of these international events sından itibaren bu uluslararası etkinliklere ev sahipliği yapmıştır. since the mid 2000s. Within this context, this study elaborates Bu kapsamda, bu çalışma Türkiye’de son yıllarda gerçekleştirilen the impacts of Erzurum, Trabzon and Mersin multi-sport events Erzurum, Trabzon ve Mersin çoklu-spor etkinliklerinin etkilerini recently hold in Turkey. Overall, in this paper, it is aimed to unveil irdelemektedir. Genel olarak, bu çalışmada, bu büyük etkinliklerin the extent of the rapid urban development and transformation düzenlendikleri kentlerde yarattıkları etkilere odaklanılarak, mer- desired by the central and local governments with the help of the kezi ve yerel yönetimlerce söz konusu etkinlikler yardımıyla yara- mega events by focusing on the effects of the events concerned in tılması istenilen hızlı kentsel gelişme ve dönüşümün kapsamının the respective cities. The study portrays the physical, economical ve gerçekleşme düzeyinin aydınlatılması amaçlanmaktadır. Çalışma, and socio-cultural change and transformations in urban fabric and oyunlar öncesinde, boyunca ve sonrasında kent dokusundaki ve space before, during, and after the Games period. By focusing on mekanındaki fiziksel, ekonomik ve sosyo-kültürel değişim ve dö- the planning and management of the projects realized in order to nüşümleri resmetmektedir. Etkinlikleri gerçekleştirmek için yapı- hold the events, the opportunities created for the development lan projelerin planlama ve yönetimine odaklanılarak, etkinliklere ev of the cities hosting the events will be examined within a critical sahipliği yapan şehirlerin gelişimi için yaratılan fırsatlar eleştirel bir context. The impact of such mega-events on the urban change are bağlam içinde ele alınacaktır. Bu tür büyük organizasyonların kent- explored in terms of not only planning and management of the sel değişim üzerindeki etkisi, sadece projelerin planlanması ve yö- projects, but also the proper use and management of the infra- netimi değil aynı zamanda bu olayların bir parçası olarak inşa edilen structures built as part of these events altyapıların doğru kullanımı ve yönetimi açısından da incelenmiştir Keywords: Mega events; multi-sport events; sports-led regeneration; Tur- Anahtar sözcükler: Büyük etkinlikler; çoklu spor organizasyonları; spor ek- key (Trabzon, Erzurum and Mersin); urban-regional development. senli yenileme; Türkiye (Trabzon, Erzurum ve Mersin); kentsel-bölgesel gelişim. The earlier versions of this paper were presented in the 4th Urban and Regional Research Network (KBAM) Symposium held in Mersin and in the 55th European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Congress held in Lisbon. Received: 02.12.2015 Accepted: 12.12.2016 Available Online Date: 27.12.2016 Correspondence: Servet Karaca. e-mail: [email protected] Servet Karaca, Burak Beyhan 39 1. Introduction urban plans are revised and urban space is restructured. Thus, the transformative effects of these events are indisputable. As in other regions of the world, there is a tendency to host They may also have a significant impact on the local com- mega events in Turkey. This trend is seen as a tool for local munity hosting these events. It is possible to argue that these and regional development, and events are implemented with impacts have reflections in the urban landscape, infrastruc- branding, promotion, marketing and attracting investments in ture, in the social structure and culture of the city (Roche, mind. In Turkey cities have been hosting particularly ‘multi- 2000; Hughson, 2004; Silk and Amis, 2005). Mega events can sport organizations’ such as ‘Summer and Winter Games’. It be also seen as initiatives frequently implemented by a city so can be argued that with the help of these events a “sports-led that the city could have a say on global scale. regeneration” tricking the urban development is observable in the cities hosting these organizations. All over the world, mega-events are marketed as savior events; they are organized to display the strength of the Over the last 20 years debates are going on about the ef- country. The country aims to promote investment objec- fects of the Olympic and other multi-sport organizations as tives with these activities. Also, these events are regarded well as other mega events on urban layout and development. as a springboard for urban and regional development. They It is known that the Olympic and other multi-sport events inevitably lead to a number of changes in the urban layout. contribute a lot to the development of the cities hosting the These effects begin with physical structure of the city, such as events concerned. In this respect, there are debates about construction facilities, and continue with economic and so- the effects of the Olympic and other multi-sport events as cio-cultural changes. Within this context, this paper aims to well as other mega-events on urban and regional spatial de- analyze to what extent urban development and transforma- velopment. As a result of these international mega events, tion has been achieved in Turkey via similar events over the cities hosting the events have received a considerable amount last decade. In order to draw a general framework, in the sub- of capital flow which is particularly invested in multi-purpose sequent section, mega events are conceptualized as a form of facilities, including infrastructural and cultural projects in or- intervention to urban order, which reveals the contribution der to both meet the requirements of the visitors participat- of and expectation from these events in local and regional ing to the events concerned, and also to build the legacy of development. The third section presents the development of these events. Nevertheless, after holding these events, the multi-sport events in Turkey together with the methodologi- sport and cultural facilities created by the investments made cal framework employed in this study and the findings from in the cities concerned are not properly utilized, and an effec- the field surveys conducted in Trabzon, Erzurum and Mer- tive, efficient and sustainable use of these investments pres- sin. The last section provides some concluding remarks by ent an ongoing challenge. re-elaborating the findings from the field surveys within the framework of expectations from the Games in relation to Indeed, it was observed that, in parallel with this trend, many their contribution to local and regional development. mega and “multi-sport events” have been held in different cities in Turkey over the last decade: “2005 İzmir World Uni- 2. Mega Events As Interventions for Urban Order versity Summer Games”, “İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture”, “Trabzon 2011 European Youth Olympic Games”, Today “culture” themed events and activities play an impor- “Erzurum 2011 World University Winter Games”, “2013 tant role in restructuring the city economy (Zukin, 2000; Mersin 17th Mediterranean Games”, and finally “Antalya 2016 Özdemir, 2005; Dündar, 2010; Karaca, 2012). One of the ap- EXPO” are international mega events organized in this pe- proaches becoming popular in revitalization of the local econ- riod. Also, it is known that in line with these initiatives İzmir omy, especially in England, has been Mega Events since 1980s has a candidacy for EXPO 2020 (Penpecioğlu, 2013; Edizel, (Roche, 2000; Coaffee, 2008; Smith, 2010). Mega events are 2014). In addition to this, the government has plans to host important components of urban and regional development, 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 European Olympics. and the impacts of the respective events have been a lively discussion topic (Essex and Chalkley, 2004; Smith, 2012). The Mega events are also seen as a tool for urban transforma- cities all over the worlds have started to compete to host tion. These events offer a way out of problems of post-in- international, cultural, sportive and Olympic activities. Pro- dustrial urban economy, and contribute to the country’s de- motion marketing strategy