Global sport mega-events and local community impacts: the case of housing and redevelopment in Porto Alegre at the 2014 Men’s World Cup finals in Brazil

Abstract

There has been little in-depth, social scientific research on how local communities experience the hosting of global sport mega-events (SMEs) with respect to the impacts of redevelopment on housing. This paper seeks to address this significant research gap through an in-depth study of housing issues, following substantial urban redevelopment, in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, for the 2014 men’s football World Cup finals. Research was undertaken with residents in locations affected by redevelopment. Data was gathered through two main research methods: a resident survey using random sampling (Cochran protocol, 1977, error of probability set at .05), and follow-up semi-structured interviews. The research found that residents viewed the redevelopment impacts on housing in critical and negative ways, with reference to a range of issues including increased personal insecurity, threats to ownership of real estate and the right to housing, misinformation, loss of public services, lack of public consultation, and policy incoherence and failure. From this, we argue that more research is needed both on how local communities experience sport mega-events when affected by them, and more specifically on how the negative impacts of these events on housing may be identified and tackled.