Waterfront Redevelopment in Post-America’s Cup Valencia: Some Insights from a Survey to Local Residents

Abstract

Waterfront renewal is a recurrent event in the life of many cities around the world. Traditionally, planners and geographers have focused on this phenomenon analyzing the ongoing relationship between ports and cities. Unlike previous studies, in this paper this phenomenon is addressed from the point of view of local residents through a case study in Valencia, Spain. As this urban renewal process was initiated through the hosting of two major events as the 32nd and 33rd America’s Cup, local residents were surveyed with the purpose of investigating the determinants of their visits to the port area during the celebration of both events and afterward. As it is assumed that both choices are correlated, a bivariate probit model is estimated. Results show that the main determinants of the visits are their recreational character, the proximity to the port area and the respondent’s environmental awareness. Finally, as the visits plummeted after the celebration of both events, the findings of this research could be useful in informing decision making in order to make the best use of these restructured port areas, thus guaranteeing a regular flow of local visitors all year round once there are no longer prospects for hosting new megaevents.