Post by Karin Book.

The local organizers of the ECSS Congress 2015 in Malmö will endeavour to increase the number of sessions and presentations – of all kinds – within the Social Sciences & Humanities area. To that end we will utilize the blog to present some of the sessions, and later presentations, in this area.

Sport takes place – in huge purpose-built arenas, in sports grounds, sports halls, squares, parks, from one wall to another and in the fitness centre. Or, it doesn’t take place due to spatial deficits. The urban landscape and urban planning trends effect the opportunities for sports and physical activities, as well as the other way around; sport and activity trends effect the way the urban sport landscape develops. Sport should be understood in its widest sense. In this session the Urban Sport Landscape will be discussed from several different perspectives, from two perspectives:

The global sport landscapes in an urban context: spectacularisation of sports arenas, the popularity of sports events and the arena development linked to this, sense of place versus global sport trends, urban development effects of arena investments, etc.

The everyday sport landscapes in an urban context: the spatial opportunities and trends of everyday physical activity and sport. Included in this is active transports, the importance of green spaces, trends like skate boarding and parkour using the urban landscape in new ways, spatial aspects of the running trend, urban development effects of investments in everyday sport structures, etc.

Chair: Bo Carlsson, Professor, Department of sport sciences, Malmö University

Hans Westerbeek and Larissa Davies.

Invited speakers:

• Sport and ‘Glocal’ Urbanisation. Looking for Novel Sport Markets
  Hans Westerbeek, Professor of Sport Business, Dean, College of Sport and Exercise Science and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University
  
• Who’s legacy? The urban development effects of investment in sports infrastructure
  Dr Larissa Davies, Reader in Sport Management, Sheffield Hallam University
• Planning for activity – Linking physical activity trends and urban development trends
  Dr Karin Book, Senior lecturer in sport sciences, Malmö University