ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors build on their research on urban festivals to offer a five-fold classification of event spaces and their transformation into new urban sectors. The first category, employing temporary sites, was pioneered by London's 1851 Great Exhibition. Even in the 20th century, World's Fairs organizers could procure vacant land close to the city center, the second category of locations chosen for event spaces. The third category covers sites at the urban fringe. The fourth category comprises reclamations, spaces produced by dredging and infill. The final category, brownfield conversions, is where the sense of change is perhaps greatest. The authors then consider the meaning of narratives that scholars and others employ to interpret the underlying process. In particular, after commenting on the tendency to associate social transformation with design transformation, they examine two discourses that are central to contemporary understanding of the creation and disposal of event spaces: the Barcelona model and the concept of legacy.
