Unplanned Event Risk Legacy and Place-Making Involving Mass Gatherings

Abstract

The 2022 Itaewon Halloween tragedy highlighted the urgent need to understand and mitigate risks in unplanned mass gatherings. There is currently no established framework for identifying, evaluating, and disseminating the legacy of mass gatherings at unplanned events. This lack of structure presents significant risks to the health and safety of participants at non-ticketed events. Using a qualitative research approach involving an integrated literature review, a case study, and a best fit framework, this paper examines the validity of the World Health Organization (WHO) standard health legacy framework for unplanned events involving mass gatherings and highlights critical areas for further research. Specifically, the current research updates and streamlines the WHO framework, incorporating a risk legacy from a recent unplanned event, and advocating clearly defined stakeholder responsibilities. Further, this study seeks to contribute valuable insights for place-makers, inviting a critical awareness of unplanned events involving even smaller mass gatherings and their stakeholders.