Arenas and stadiums associated with the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) are increasingly concentrated in the downtown cores of Canadian and American cities.

In 1997, 51 per cent of NFL and MLB stadiums and NBA and NHL arenas were located in downtowns. My recent research found that this share has increased to 61 per cent.

The preference for a downtown location is most pronounced in the NBA and NHL, where 80 per cent and 72 per cent of teams, respectively, host their games in downtown arenas.

Building upon the trends observed at the end of the 1990s, my findings demonstrate that the recentralization of arenas and stadiums has intensified through the first quarter of the 21st century, continuing the shift away from the more suburban orientation that characterized the 1950s and 1960s.

From a planning perspective, downtown locations make sense. They typically offer a wider range of mobility options and are often better served by public transit. For team owners, research shows that downtown venues attract more attendees than those situated outside of the downtown, which in turn generates more revenues through ticket, merchandise and food and beverage sales.

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