The legacy created in pursuit of a mega-event, like the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, World’s Fair or the Hajj, can provide tremendous opportunities for the host to advance urban development. The challenge faced by cities is how to direct the public and private spending on desired legacies to support their pre-bid urban agendas. To provide guidance for scholars and event planners interested in using events to further urban development agendas, we present a framework for cataloguing the outcomes associated with mega-event planning.