Some of the world's iconic landmarks -- like the Eiffel Tower and Montreal's Biosphere -- have been borne from world's expositions. Expos can highlight cities' progress and offer an economic boost, but accompanying costs can overshadow the benefits.
World expositions showcase the architecture, technology, and culture from cities all over the globe and can constitute a boon for the economy and status of host cities, explains Georgi Kantchev.
"Today, though, hosting an expo means much more than buildings. Bidders count on an economic boost and a higher international profile as benefits from staging the six-month event. 'An expo marks a certain 'coming of age' for a city,' Urso Chappell, an expo historian, said. 'It can aid a city's physical redevelopment as well as the nation's image abroad.'"
However, the boost in status and the economic benefits sometimes don't pan out, or cost much more than organizers predict.
"And while expo officials count urban development as a major benefit of hosting, it comes at a cost. In the preparations for the Shanghai World Expo [in 2010], Chinese authorities demolished thousands of homes and displaced 18,000 families, according to Amnesty International, a human rights group."
Read the full story: World Expositions Can Benefit or Haunt Host Cities
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
25 states, cities sue the EPA over erased power plant emissions limits
The coalition also intends to sue the EPA for not regulating emissions from gas-fired power plants.
Newsom vetoes giving CA tribes greater voice in water projects
In his veto letter, Newsom said the bill would add ‘uncertainty’ to the state’s fight to secure Californians’ water supplies.
Michigan Senate votes to revise 'lax' dam safety laws
A Bridge Michigan investigation found more than 100,000 Michigan residents live in the floodpath of a high or significant-hazard dam.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello