Effects of Expo Fairs on Urban Development as the Event Legacy and Their Sustainability: Comparison of Expo Lisbon and Expo Antalya Cases

Abstract

In terms of the development and progress of cities, it is necessary to make investments and arrangements before large-scale events, to introduce the cultures and characteristics of the cities during the event process, and to plan their use after the event to ensure spatial sustainability. The aim of this study is to evaluate the urban development effects of Expo fair areas and their contribution to spatial sustainability in terms of being an event legacy. Within the scope of the study, content analysis was realized between the Expo fair held in Lisbon in 1998 and the Expo fair held in Antalya in 2016, and the event legacies they left to the cities were compared. Research results reveal that Expo Lisbon was a tool in terms of urban development and spatial sustainability, while Expo Antalya was a purpose. The study underlines the necessity of planning the spatial uses during and after the fair, associating the fair area with the city, and sustaining social life and economic employment in order to transform the Expo areas into an investment and space that will be effective in the long-term for the cities. The study is limited to the urban and spatial sustainability of Expo Lisbon and Antalya areas. It is recommended to carry out studies that include different Expo areas and socio-economic sustainability in the future. This study provides important contributions to the field of science and practice in terms of presenting the effects of Expo fairs on urban development and sustainability relations through the examination of Lisbon and Antalya examples. In addition, the comparison of the two Expo cases is aimed to guide the countries and cities that will host large-scale events in the future.