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First time posting on this forum but as someone who's worked with stadium renovations before, I've noticed that FIFA's city-facelift approach tends to gloss over the long-term sustainability of infrastructure changes post-tournament

couldn't agree more *(edited)*

why is this buried? this is the real answer

Sustainability, not just aesthetics not gonna lie *(edited)*

— I feel like we're oversimplifying the 'city-facelift' issue, and I'm not convinced sustainability and aesthetics are mutually exclusive. FIFA's approach does seem heavy-handed, but have we considered the local economic benefits or the social impact on long-term residents in these cities – it's not just a matter of whether the stadiums are pretty or eco-friendly. I'm not saying we shouldn't scrutinize FIFA's methods, but can we also acknowledge the complexities of hosting international events?

I'm guilty of being in the pro-city-facelift camp too, guys, but hearing everyone's concerns got me thinking - maybe we're forgetting the long-term impact on these cities' local economies and communities? I mean, all that investment in infrastructure and whatnot might create temporary jobs and excitement, but what about when the World Cup's over and the stadium's collecting dust? *(edited)*

i gotta respectfully disagree, Britta, because when we're talking about sustainability, we can't just give a blanket statement. What about all the reports that show increased property costs and gentrification in these cities? I'm not saying aesthetics aren't important, but we need to talk about the actual impact these city-facelifts have on the local community.

I get what you're saying, Britta, but let's not give FIFA a free pass, right? Their city-facelift idea was never really about sustainability to begin with, at least not in my book.

yawn, another stadium with no real character just a generic city facade for wealthy tourists to instagram honestly

bruh

Nice leap from "bruh" to a full-fledged argument, let's see how that develops — lowkey

someone finally said it

glad I scrolled down far enough to find this

more people need to see this

skill issue

this is literally me

Missing the human impact too much

i get where you're all coming from, but aren't we putting the cart before the horse here? FIFA has a responsibility to ensure host cities benefit from the World Cup, which means prioritizing the local population and infrastructure over gentrification.

hard agree

hold on

screenshotting this

couldn't agree more

can't believe the hate on this, city-facelift's not that bad lol

yeah but the real skill issue is FIFA pushing gentrification under the GUISE of "development" while locals get priced out

Gentrification's the real issue

I think the city-facelift approach is a necessary evil in many cases - think about all those struggling stadium infrastructures Fang mentioned - but it doesn't have to mean losing the soul of the city, we can find a ba..

We need a rethink on the city-facelift approach. It's crazy to think that in 2012, my hometown of São Paulo invested millions in the Arena Corinthians which was supposed to be a state-of-the-art 'legacy venue' for the World Cup, only to be abandoned after the tournament and left to deteriorate, it's a prime example of how these projects often fall flat after the spotlight is gone

First time posting but, i've always found it weird that fifa goes all out to improve a host city's infrastructure just to have it all deteriorate as soon as the tournament is over. kinda feels like they're just temporarily covering up the real issues.

watching qatar's development from here is cringeworthy. basically a whole city for tourists, no infrastructure for local residents

Honestly, the city-facelift approach just feels like a desperate attempt to make a profit off of unsuspecting fans, you know, like putting a fancy new façade on a dilapidated building to pretend nothing's wrong. My friend from Qatar told me that the infrastructure and maintenance costs are just crippling the local communities - it's not worth it.

honestly same

I'm curious, what specifically do you mean by a city-facelift approach, and how does it affect the local communities that host the World Cup events lowkey

Overpriced, unnecessary extravagance lowkey

Watched Rio GET rebuilt twice, still nothing's original there.

Remember Brazil's beautification? Fleeting joy

My hometown Rio de Janeiro after the Olympics lowkey 😤

sick of stadiums sucking cities dry

yeah, Seung’s got a point—those stadiums often leave cities with white elephants while locals foot the bill *(edited)*

sheesh

i've got a friend who's a contractor in a host city, and let's just say the city facelifts are less about 'rethinking the urban landscape' and more about 'making the host committee look fancy'. theyre just hastily toss..

yeah I've had the exact same experience

oof

based

cringe *(edited)*

I had the misfortune of experiencing the city-facelift approach firsthand with my local team and let me tell you, by month three I was already questioning the entire vision, only to find out half of the budget went to marketing

— I mean, at some point it's not a "facelift" if everything's getting renovated from scratch, right? It's like calling a surgery "just a bit of a tweak". Can we just acknowledge that it's a multi-billion dollar investment in infrastructure in these cities?

Ngl I kinda disagree with the whole city-facelift thing getting roasted, people act like it's a new thing, it's actually a great way for cities to invest in infrastructure and attract more tourism lol

— Seung, that's a really valid concern, and I'm with you on this (I mean, we're essentially talking about these massive infrastructural projects being pushed through by the host cities to the tune of millions of dollars, right?) but don't you think it's also possible that these developments could bring some sort of economic benefit to the local community, even if it's short-term?

It's called FIFA 22's rebranding, essentially cosmetic tweaks 😂

not gonna lie

Oh man, I *get* the appeal of shiny new stadiums and revamped city centers, but let’s be real—who’s actually benefiting long-term? The locals get priced out while FIFA and developers pat themselves on the back. And do...

bruh

What do you guys think is a more sustainable way for FIFA to invest in host cities without making them br...

I think we're glossing over the financial burden this leaves on local residents, who often get priced out of neighborhoods that were once affordable to live in. I've seen it happen in host cities, where housing costs skyrocket to accommodate World Cup tourists

Financial burden's just the tip

Yeah, i think britta was about to say something actually interesting before tran just... happened, so can we not sidestep the point about the impact on locals? i'm more interested in hearing about the financial burden part, too.

this needs more upvotes

OP should pin this

i get where you guys are coming from, but isn't the issue that FIFA's approach often prioritizes spectacle over community involvement and sustainability? It feels like they're still chasing a fantasy World Cup village rather than genuinely upgrading the cities that desperately need investment

this right here 👆

reminds me of the Olympics in Beijing, they built this massive aquatics CENTER that's now barely used, just a sad reminder of the debt they're still paying off. 💯

Barely finished host city renovations here

Actually it's often a net positive honestly

hard agree

First time posting but watching qatar’s skyline from my cousin’s balcony last summer, all those glass towers felt like a mirage—beautiful but hollow when you remember the workers who never got to see them finished. still, there’s something to be said for a place reinventing itself, even if the cost feels unevenly spread

i've got some numbers to back this up, the 2022 qatar world cup alone spent $229 billion on infrastructure, which is like, half of qatar's gdp before that

not all cities need it desperately 🤦

First time posting but — isn't it possible that the city facelifts, however lavish, are also a way FOR FIFA to obscure the underlying issues, rather than genuinely improve the host cities for their own residents?

I think not gonna lie is a bit of an understatement, we could've just called it an overhaul. I'm still not convinced it's more than just a desperate attempt to grab attention.

I agree with Seung, the whole host city renovations feel like a double edged sword – on one hand, they bring in tourism and jobs, on the other, the massive investment can lead to gentrification and displacement of existing communities (which I've witnessed firsthand in my hometown during the Commonwealth Games).

Yeah, just cos it's a double edged sword don't mean we forget the people who do benefit, like the locals who get jobs and get to see their city's infrastructure improve

Nice of the World Cup to give away our taxpayer cash to get some fancy new stadiums

Been around the block a few times, and I gotta say, we've seen this cycle before - new stadiums, fancy facelifts, and a whole heck of a lot of taxpayer dollars lining the pockets of FIFA's big shots

How do you mean 'city-facelift'?

lmao who's gonna fund a tournament when there's a new city to plaster with sponsors' logos every 4 years, idk. fifa's just trying to keep up with the times or whatever. we're so concerned about the 'facelift' but what about fixing the real issues, like corrupt officials and ridiculous prize distribution?

Oh my god, I went to Qatar for work last year and the contrast between the shiny new stadiums and the crumbling old neighborhoods was *wild*—like, who even benefits from this? It’s not like the locals I talked to were stoked about their rent doubling!

qatar’s skyline hit different not gonna lie 😤

Hosted the World Cup in the favelas of Rio.

We need to rethink the city-facelift approach. I was at the World Cup in Brazil 2014 and the entire Copacabana beach area got a massive redesign for the event - within a year, it was already deteriorating because it was only planned to host the tournament and didn't account for the long-term needs of the local residents.

First time posting but I think a lot of people are ignoring the elephant in the room, which is that these stadium renovations don't seem to have done much for the actual football, I've watched some of these new arenas be built and what do I notice - an absurd amount of empty seats. *(edited)*

I remember when I was in Doha for the 2022 World Cup and the whole city was renovated in like a year - it was wild to see. I went to school in a city that basically rebuilt its whole downtown area before the Olympics, and it felt like everyone involved was just pretending that the original businesses and culture didn't exist, which was kinda heartbreaking. *(edited)*

Oh, FIFA’s city-facelift approach? Sounds like they’re slapping a fresh coat of paint on a house with termites—looks nice for the photos, but the foundation’s still crumbling lowkey

no thoughts head empty

this needs more upvotes

this comment > the whole thread

more people need to see this

why is this so accurate 😭

screenshotting this

screenshotting this

THIS exactly

— can't imagine what the actual 'before' pics look like, kinda sounds like they're glossing over some major issues lol

I'm not sure I buy the whole "city-facelift" approach is broken, but I do think we're overlooking one key component: actually addressing the issues that led to this facelift in the first place. It's a Band-Aid on a deep cut if you ask me.

why is this so accurate 😭

actually 💀

lived in Qatari worker village during World Cup prep.

the way I nodded reading this

How many people actually benefit