Metropolitan Marketing and Strategie Planning: Mega Events. A Copenhagen Perspective

Danish Journal of Geography: 71–82, 1995. This paper presents two mega events as tools in the strategic planning of the Copenhagen area. Due to growing inter-metropolitan competition, increasingly offensive and complex means are applied. This demands strong leadership, stable longterm planning and willingness to accept the costs in order to reach the objectives. Marketing versus strategic planning is discussed. The general position of Copenhagen in the European urban system gives perspective to a potential change on the South Scandinavian urban scene. New instruments of strategic planning in Greater Copenhagen are introduced. The competitive level of Copenhagen is analyzed in relation to Stockholm, Berlin and Hamburg. Two examples of mega events are discussed that represent typical elements in urban competition: cultural events and infrastructure improvements. 1) Copenhagen as ‘The cultural City of Europe’ in 1996 represents a temporary mega event. 2) The planned bridge between Copenhagen and the south Swedish city of Malmö, combined with Swedish entrance into EU, opens up for development of the first cross-national integrated large-city region outside the European centre. This is an example of a mega event which will alter the scene permanently. Both events are important issues used in developing a growth strategy for Greater Copenhagen. But neither the cultural city nor the bridge may by themselves guarantee any advantages. It depends upon the ability of local actors to develop and promote the quality of their city. The paper represents a continuation and elaboration on earlier papers, see Matthiessen (1990, 1992) and Andersen & Jørgensen (1994).