This month the Gold Coast marked exactly four years until it hosts the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In the Scottish city of Glasgow, the countdown is more pressing.

With less than four months before the Opening Ceremony for the 2014 Games takes place inside Glasgow’s Celtic Park stadium, a public lecture hosted by Griffith University and presented by the University of Glasgow’s Professor Ade Kearns will provide invaluable insight into the organisation and impact of such a major event.

The lecture, Assessing the Legacy of the Commonwealth Games: Learning from Glasgow, will be held in the Learning Commons (G11-4.28) at the Gold Coast campus on Monday, April 14, from 6-7pm. Entry is free but reservations are required.

A Professor of Urban Studies in his University’s School of Social and Political Sciences, Professor Kearns has designed a comprehensive research program to evaluate the impacts of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The Acting Director of Griffith University’s Urban Research Program, Professor Paul Burton, says major sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games are today expected to deliver much more than a successful event.

“Cities winning the right to host these major events are expected to deliver a variety of longer-lasting benefits ranging from improvements in public health through to better social capital to economic growth and urban regeneration,” says Professor Burton.

“Professor Kearns will draw on his experience designing a research program for the Glasgow event and will also discuss the theoretical and practical problems of measuring legacy over time and in complex and dynamic urban environments.

“This will provide valuable information for those planning and delivering the legacy aspects of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.”

Griffith University is sending a delegation to Glasgow in July to work with local universities and learn about the role they have played in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

What:Assessing the Legacy of the Commonwealth Games: Learning from Glasgow, Professor Ade Kearns (University of Glasgow)

When:Monday, April 14, 2014, from 6-7pm

Cost: Free

Bookings:Seat reservations required

Venue:Griffith University Gold Coast Campus, Learning Commons (Library), G11_4.28

Registration link:Impact Lecture Series