Sport: A Driver of Urban Planning
Sport as a Factor in Land Use Planning
What are its impacts on the urban landscape and the lives of residents?
Through the facilities it requires and the flow of people it generates, sport is a major consumer of space. It is also a significant factor in land use planning. Major global cities that have hosted the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup have all undertaken significant urban development projects in terms of infrastructure for hosting events and transportation, far exceeding the sporting aspect. The results have varied considerably from country to country.
Through the facilities it requires and the flow of people it generates, sport is a major consumer of space and a significant factor in land use planning.
In western Paris, sports facilities and their location take precedence over communication infrastructure.
Sport leads to large-scale restructuring of the urban landscape. For the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, 12 stadiums were built or renovated in 12 cities.
The urban landscape was thus profoundly shaped to meet the needs of the sport, with an impact on residents.
In São Paulo, the area surrounding the Corinthians Stadium was developed with parking lots, shops, and restaurants, intended to revitalize the area in the long term.
Île-de-France, Plaine Saint-Denis.
The example of the Stade de France, built for the 1998 World Cup, set a precedent in terms of urban redevelopment.
Two RER (regional express network) stations were built, and a metro line was extended to Saint-Denis.
Around the stadium, housing and shops were built.
In a short time, this former industrial wasteland became a dynamic business hub, offering a prime example of urban renewal.
Organizing the Olympic Games requires massive infrastructure projects that sometimes lead to a drastic overhaul of a city.
For the cities hosting them, the Olympic project is first and foremost an urban restructuring project that goes beyond the sporting aspect.
Beyond the construction of sports facilities and the Olympic Village, hosting the Games often involves the revitalization of city centers and tourist sites, the development of public transportation, the construction of ring roads, and the expansion of international airports.
Since the Sydney Olympics in 2000, presented as the first "green" Games, sustainable development has been at the heart of all projects.
In 2004, Athens undertook a major reorganization of its public transportation network.
This involved extending metro lines, building a tramway, and developing the suburban rail network.
It also accelerated the construction of the new international airport and rehabilitated and enhanced the city's heritage.
Monumental works, a colossal budget of between 9 and 11 billion euros, have placed a heavy burden on the country's finances.
These developments raise questions about their profitability and sustainability.
Of the 22 sites built for the Athens Olympics, 21 have been abandoned due to a lack of funding.
The return of urban wasteland thus presents a striking paradox.
Conversely, the Olympic Park for the 2012 London Games was designed with sustainability in mind. The spaces are adaptable and reusable, and the sports facilities and other infrastructure are modular or demountable as needed.
Beyond the economic and environmental costs, sports facilities can have a significant social and human impact.
Recent major competitions, such as the Beijing, Rio, and Sochi Olympics, and the FIFA World Cups in South Africa and Brazil, have profoundly impacted the lives of local populations.
The security measures for athletes and spectators, as well as the construction of infrastructure, have led to the destruction of neighborhoods and the expropriation of their residents.
The city of Rio, for example, has demolished several favelas, forcing 40,000 people to relocate to the outskirts to make way for upscale real estate developments.
Sports-related infrastructure thus contributes to gentrification, a phenomenon of beautification and the gentrification of city centers that is occurring in major metropolises around the world.