The Olympic Village and the Olympic Urbanism: Perception and Expectations of Olympic Specialists

Abstract

The editions of the Olympic Games (OG) created a major urban transformation, which allowed for a new critical perspective on the new urban dimension of the Mega-Event, especially in the construction of the three main physical elements built: the athletics stadium, the swimming pool facilities and, above all, the “Olympic Village”. The study analyses the Winter and Summer Olympic Villages (OV) in a general way with a particular focus on the relationship between the OV and the urban fabric. The interdependence between the city and the OG has evolved through new models of development of the Olympic event that has marked the importance of the OV in the processes of city transformation. The lack of previous studies allows us to affirm the importance of the study for the academic debate on the future of the OV. The study will use quantitative analysis to analyse the different variables and responses of the Olympic specialists who participated in the sample. The study will make it possible to observe the perceptions and expectations of the interviewees through statistical analysis. Moreover, considering that only one symposium was organised in the Olympic history in 1996, the following survey is a solid basis for designing future OV in the candidate cities. The organisation of a new symposium almost thirty years after the 1996 one is of fundamental importance to discuss the territorial impact, organisational models, heritage, infrastructure, participation, housing, social change and territorial transformations.