Olympics´ Impacts in Rio de Janeiro´s urban sustainability (original) (raw)

Mega sporting events as tools of urban redevelopment: lessons learned from Rio de Janeiro

In the 1990s, the municipality of Rio de Janeiro initiated a new policy that involved the use of mega sporting events as tools for urban redevelopment and regeneration of the city. This strategy culminated in the hosting of the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association football World Cup and the 2016 summer Olympic Games. Through interviews with experts and bid book analysis, the paper aims to assess the impact of this strategy on Rio de Janeiro and its population, with a specific focus on the 2016 summer Olympic Games and two main Olympic clusters, Maracanã and Barra da Tijuca. Indeed, the 2016 Games were touted as a way to promote sustainable development in the city, and, also, social inclusion. However, the results show a very harmful impact of the Olympics on Rio de Janeiro. First, they increased the physical fragmentation and polarisation of the city; second, they aggravated social and economic inequalities among the local population.

Sustainability Transformations in Olympic Host Cities

2014

The Olympic Games represent an unparalleled fast-track urban development opportunity for Olympic host cities. Taking the premise that the transformational effect of the Olympics has a potential to drive long-term urban sustainability, this book examines how Olympic host cities can use the Olympic planning process to transition to a more sustainable model of urban development. Presenting the case of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, this research draws planning lessons for Sochi 2014 and other future Olympic host cities and discusses policy implications for the International Olympic Committee.

Environmental Sustainability at the Olympic Games: Comparing Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games

European Journal of Sustainable Development, 2019

The modern Olympic Games have evolved from events fostering international peace and goodwill to showcases of athleticism and commercialism. More recently sustainability became a pillar of the Game site selection process. This paper focuses on two Olympic Games: Rio 2016 (completed) and Tokyo 2020 (upcoming). The goals of Sustainability Plans and pre-game reports for the two Olympic sites are analyzed using weighted summation method of Multi-attribute Value theory and the framework of environmental, economic and social-cultural sustainability, with emphasis on environmental sustainability. Post-game analysis and legacy stories are reviewed for Rio 2016. Application of legacy stories to future Olympics sites is examined. Last, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, in terms of actual and anticipated success in sustainability initiatives, are compared for the impact these two Games may have on future Olympic Game sites.

The Use of Mega Sporting Events as a Key Driver to Promote Sustainable Urban Development

The cities of today are anything but virtuous, and the majority of the population currently living in urban areas consume the majority of our planet's energy, producing the great part of greenhouse gases. These figures are sufficient to make us aware of how the quality of life of billions of people will depend upon the extent to which urban agglomerations will be capable of becoming virtuous. Transforming the cities of today into sustainable cities, therefore, has become an inevitable course of action. In this context, planning mega events can be the occasion for the transformation of large urban areas that, in the ordinary practice, they would hardly find occasion and means for their implementation. Mega events, from the Olympics to soccer World Cup, are often regarded as a key driver for the overall redevelopment of a city. Mega-events have driven the urban transformation of cities such as Barcelona, London, Rio, Beijing, and Shanghai, but while the prospect of economic growth is the driving force for hosting a major event, the legacies that follow their hosting, especially in terms of sustainability, are difficult to design and quantify. Focusing specifically on mega sports events, the paper intends to identify how they can be used as catalysts for promoting sustainability awareness, and sustainable urban regeneration and growth. This paper discusses the urban legacies from two main case studies (i.e.: 2006 South Africa World Cup and 2012 London Olympic Games), and analyses major processes involved in the design and development of a sports event. The conclusions question how an emerging global city as Doha, which will be the first Middle Eastern and Gulf city to host a soccer World Cup, will benefit by hosting this event, and indicate potential directions for further research, framed particularly around Gulf countries.

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE OLYMPICS: THE CASE OF ATHENS 2004

International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 2008

The terms of growth and environment are historically proven not to be compatible, in principle, methods and targets. Economic investments are usually accompanied by actions that could not easily be characterized as environmentally friendly, while the strict application of environmental directives often results in halting development. Moreover, the tendency to constant economic growth is a desirable and inherent characteristic of human nature, which is apparently not to be changed in the near future. In this context, the pressing need for a bundle of approaches that could tie the objectives of economic growth and the protection of the environment had led to the field of sustainable development. The compatibility of each investment project with the principles of sustainable development should be therefore a matter of high priority. This text addresses the sustainability and the impact of the Olympic Games that were held in Athens in the summer of 2004. The Olympics comprise the biggest of events and their preparation extends in a scale capable of restructuring various spheres of economic activities. The sustainability issues that arise are therefore of major importance. The paper concerns the impact assessment of Olympic investments, in terms of properly selected and modified sustainable performance indicators focusing mainly on economy and environment. In this context, data and facts concerning the total budget of the Games are presented, while the attempt to monitor the evolution of the Games' economic context focuses finally on the volume of labor force and unemployment rate. Regarding the environmental sphere, the sustainability of the Games is assessed mainly through the areas of interest of transport networks, traffic and pollution among others. Eventually, the article presents a holistic approach of assessing the sustainable impact of the Olympic Games and its implementation on the Athens 2004 Games.

OLYMPIC GAMES A SUSTAINABLE DESIGN ASSESSMENT FOR HOST LOCATION

JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE, VOL. 66, NO. 3, JUNE 2019, PP. 287-311 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, CAIRO UNIVERSITY, 2018

Through decades, the Olympic Games have become the most spectacular public cultural event in modern days. Every four years the Games capture our attention to a grand festive that fascinates millions of people. Accordingly, when a city decides to make a bid, all its concerns is much more captivated by the urban transformation impact on the city whether it's a positive or a negative one. As a result, several factors, if not well-organized and taken into consideration in the strategic development plans of the host cities, may be a burden on the city. Site selection for the event is considered one of the main critical decisions to assure the possibility of the host of the Games by the city. Therefore, this paper reviews several case studies that proved its success in location choice under the delivery of sustainable urban design and strategic planning for the host city. It attempts to mention the main urban design elements affected by the preparation process. Consequently, an urban design sustainable assessment will be developed highlighting both the main urban design factors affected due to the host of the Olympic Games and, the main sustainable key factors affected by the urban changes on site.

Economic Aspects and Sustainability Impact of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games

"Environmental Economics and Investment Assessment"WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, WIT Press, UK, 2006., 2006

The terms of growth and environment are historically proven not to be compatible in principles, methods and targets. Economic investments are usually accompanied by actions that could not easily be characterized as environmentally friendly, while the strict application of environmental directives often results in halting development. Moreover, the tendency to constant economic growth is a desirable and inherent characteristic of human nature, which is apparently not to be changed in the near future. In this context, the pressing need for a bundle of approaches that could tie the objectives of economic growth and protection of environment had led to the field of sustainable development. The compatibility of each investment project with the principles of sustainable development should be therefore a matter of high priority. This text addresses the sustainability and the impact of Olympic Games that were hold in Athens in summer 2004. The Olympics comprise the biggest of events and their preparation extends in a scale capable of restructuring various spheres of economic activities. The sustainability issues that arise are therefore of major importance. The paper concerns the impact assessment of Olympic investments, in terms of properly selected and modified sustainable performance indicators focusing mainly on economy and environment.

Overview of Sustainable Solutions to Improve the Environmental Impacts of Mega Sporting Events

Athens Journal of Sports

The International Olympic Committee, as the main sports organization in the world, has several criteria for handing over the Olympic Games to the host city. One of the most critical concerns in hosting sports events is paying attention to environmental aspects and sustainable development. In fact, the applicant cities must have practical environmental goals and action plans. Basically, the host cities have made significant initiatives to improve the environment in previous Olympic Games, but according to the data and studies, this major sporting event has also had detrimental consequences on the environment. Given the importance of sustainable development and environmental protection, this study examines the negative impacts of mega-sporting events on the environment. Therefore data were collected from qualitative interviews, library studies, and previous research. Fifteen experts in the sports and environment field were selected as a sample by snowball distribution method and the i...