World Cup

Street Art Tells the Other Side of the World Cup Story

In the many cities hosting the month-long FIFA World Cup tournament, street artists share their criticisms in vibrant, powerful murals located in public spaces.

June 16, 2014 - The Guardian

How to Put More Kick in Urban Parks and Recreation Planning

Los Angeles County planner Clement Lau makes a case for increasing the number of fields and facilities dedicated to a sport that is growing in popularity – soccer.

June 3, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Empty Stadia and Some Regret in South Africa

One year after it hosted the World Cup, South Africa is looking at empty and expensive stadia and a persistent debt that's causing some to regret hosting the soccer tournament.

July 26, 2011 - The New York Times Magazine

Brazil to Receive Billions for Mobility Ahead of World Cup

The cities hosting the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have been awarded an infusion of $6 billion from the Inter-American Development Bank to fund urban mobility and other efforts ahead of the event.

July 13, 2011 - The City Fix

Brazil Hopes to Limit Sports Bodies' Powers Ahead of Mega Events

As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, officials are pushing a new law that would limit the powers of the international bodies behind the two major sporting events.

July 1, 2011 - The New York Times

An Olympic Ghost Town in Rio de Janeiro

Preparations for the World Cup and Olympics are displacing hundreds of families in Rio de Janeiro. One neighborhood next to a major stadium has been turned into a ghost town.

May 21, 2011 - Guardian

Mega-Events Take Toll on Brazil's Slum Dwellers

This op-ed from Al Jazeera looks at some of the negative ways preparations for the World Cup and Olympics are affecting the poor in Brazil.

May 12, 2011 - Al Jazeera

Stadium Renovation Prices out Brazil's Poor from its Most Revered Public Space

As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, renovations to the Maracana, an infamous soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, are pricing out the city's poor. Some say the work is killing one of the city's few egalitarian public places.

May 6, 2011 - The New York Times

Infrastructure Lags as Brazil Prepares to Host 2014 World Cup

Infrastructure projects are lagging in Brazil, which is causing some to worry that the country won't be ready to host the 2014 World Cup.

April 29, 2011 - The National

Deep Pockets Fund Major Infrastructure in Qatar

More than $200 billion worth of projects are either planned or underway in Qatar, and nearly half of them are infrastructure.

February 4, 2011 - Gulf Times

Urban Rail Coming to Qatar For World Cup

As Qatar prepares to host the 2022 World Cup, officials there have announced plans to build an urban rail network to link its 12 World Cup venues.

December 13, 2010 - Railway Gazette

Why Hosting a World Cup Doesn't Matter for Cities, and How it Can

Two major international decisions are being made today: which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The selected hosts will undoubtedly celebrate their victories, and look forward to the soft and hard benefits of hosting this most watched of sporting events. The host countries should also take care to prepare for negative impacts – short- and long-term effects that play out in physical, social and economic ways. Who gets selected is surely important in some ways, but when considering these mega-events in terms of their potential impact on the places in which they're held, who hosts the World Cup doesn't really matter.

December 2, 2010 - Nate Berg

White Elephant Stadia Plague South Africa

Just months after the completion of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, expensive stadia built for the event sit empty and unused.

November 15, 2010 - Bleacher Report

Re-Rio

With the next World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics on their way, Rio de Janeiro is in the midst of a vast citywide regeneration campaign.

September 11, 2010 - Smithsonian Magazine

Pedestrianism a World Cup Legacy in Cape Town

Pedestrianism is on the rise in Cape Town, South Africa, where the recent World Cup has inspired more citizens to get out of their cars and put their feet on the street.

September 4, 2010 - The Christian Science Monitor

Would A World Cup in Qatar Make Sense?

The Middle Eastern country of Qatar is bidding to play host to the 2022 World Cup. But some wonder whether the Cup might do better for the area if it were hosted by a regional coalition.

August 5, 2010 - The Huffington Post

Investing in Brazil's Urban Mobility Ahead of the World Cup and Olympics

As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, its cities are trying to improve their public transit systems.

July 13, 2010 - The City Fix

As World Cup Ends, Olympic Dreams Spark in South Africa

Officials in South Africa say the country's successful hosting of the 2010 World Cup positions it to be a viable host for the Olympics.

July 12, 2010 - Guardian

And The Winner Is…

Spanish football fans are celebrating in the streets, while in The Netherlands they are drowning their sorrows, but the real winners of the 2010 World Cup are the people of South Africa. Long after the last vuvuzela is sounded, residents and visitors will enjoy the legacy of new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems build in South Africa’s four major cities.  

July 12, 2010 - Todd Litman

Qatar's Boom Looks Beyond World Cup

As Qatar plans to spend billions on infrastructure and stadia ahead of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup, locals are hopeful that plans will focus on longer-term impacts.

July 1, 2010 - Reuters

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