The transport infraestructure contribution to the urban legacy of the Beijing Olympic Games

A contribuição da infraestrutura de transporte para o legado urbanístico dos Jogos Olímpicos em Beijing, China

Abstract

When a host city is chosen for the Olympic Games, its visibility on the international stage is increased and it becomes the focus for investments. Urban interventions that can accelerate the implementation of previously drawn up plans or redirect the urban planning process are performed. However, most discussions about the legacy of major sporting events take place without any empirical studies. This study seeks to analyze the planning proposals presented in Beijing, China, and the process by which they were physically implemented in the city. An indirect analysis methodology was carried out based on aerial images to establish a temporal comparison of the physical configurations in the vicinities of the urban railway structures. In this way, identify different dynamics in the four years after Beijing was chosen as the host city, in the year of the event and in the four years after it. It was possible to conclude that investment in transport infrastructure may have helped to consolidate the polycentric decentralization intended by the master plan for the city.

Keywords:
Major sporting events; Olympic legacy; Host city; Urban planning; Transport