Stadium Architecture and Regional Economic Development: International Experience and the Plans of Durban

Hamburg Contemporary Economic Discussions, No. 4, 2006

32 Pages Posted: 30 Jan 2010

See all articles by Florian Schwarthoff

Florian Schwarthoff

Independent

Wolfgang Maennig

Universität Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Date Written: 2006

Abstract

For the FIFA World Cup 2010, South Africa plans to invest heavily. The positive economic effects that the country is hoping for stand in contrast to almost all statistical ex-post studies. This contribution emphasises that these results, usually from research under-taken in the USA, can only be generalised to a limited degree. The density of sports venues in developed countries is so high, that the marginal effects of new stadia are necessarily limited. We also emphasise that stadium design around the world was not hitherto adequately targeted towards positive economic effects. The example of Durban and its plans for a new “iconic” stadium is used to illustrate fundamental principles of stadium design and their embedding in a re-urbanisation process that have to be undertaken in order to consciously achieve positive regional economic effects.

Keywords: stadium architecture, regional economics, sports economics, World Cup, Durban

JEL Classification: L83

Suggested Citation

Schwarthoff, Florian and Maennig, Wolfgang, Stadium Architecture and Regional Economic Development: International Experience and the Plans of Durban (2006). Hamburg Contemporary Economic Discussions, No. 4, 2006, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1540571 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1540571

Florian Schwarthoff

Independent ( email )

Wolfgang Maennig (Contact Author)

Universität Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences ( email )

Von-Melle-Park 5
Hamburg, 20146
Germany