While the event spaces of Olympic Parks are integral to the hosting of the Olympic Games, they require substantial reconfiguration in the post-event mode to create viable, mixed use and liveable places. Without such a transformation, the legacy prospects for an Olympic Park can be to remain as nothing more than a ‘ruptured space’ within the urban fabric of the host city. This research evaluated the challenges of transforming Olympic Parks, using evidence from four past hosts.
![Image block one](/media/15585/olympic-legacies.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=1200&height=900&rnd=133446248810000000)
The Olympic Park in London, constructed for the 2012 Olympic Games
Each host city demonstrated different responses to this urban design challenge:
- Continuity between the event and post-event configuration of the Olympic Park, but with intensification of uses over time (Munich, 1972).
- Retrofitting commercial, employment, residential and educational uses alongside the retention of sporting venues (Sydney, 2000).
- Post-event legacy configuration planned comprehensively from the outset (London, 2012).
- The delivery of post-event configuration by the private sector guided by viability (Rio de Janeiro, 2016).
The discussion raised questions about the ceremonial focus of the Olympic Park and whether a more decentralised model might make the associated urban design and planning legacies more deliverable for future host cities.