Rio 2016 Olympics: Urban regeneration and social legacy

Abstract

This study aimed to analyse the changes occurred in the urban space in the city of Rio de Janeiro face the Rio 2016 Games. In order to achieve this goal, official documents (bid, the organizing committee, and the legacy plan), official websites and newspapers websites with national and international coverage were analysed. This revealed the Olympic Games worked as catalyser to urban regeneration, mainly in "Porto Maravilha" and the surrounding area to Deodoro X-Park and, the great expansion to transport system, improving the urban mobility, linking all the Rio de Janeiro regions. Consequently, the social legacy appeared mainly in the Deodoro X-Park area, where there was no leisure in public area. Moreover, through improvements made in mobility brought another social aspect linked to the Games. Thus, it is true that the Olympics works as a catalyser to urban space, but not always it is happening in a meaningful, depending exclusively on own governments and a realistic planning for the city.

The social impact of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games: comparison of residents' pre- and post-event perceptions

“…These structural changes into Olympic clusters may have acted more over some citizens than others. For example, the Deodoro cluster was a priority for the city's social reform, while in the wealthy neighbourhood of Copacabana, any urbanistic or mobility actions were noted as part of the Olympic legacy (Santos Neto et al , 2018). In this sense, it is recommended that local governments plan the mega events by considering the needs of different Olympic clusters, social cohesion and needs of the locals to leverage social impacts and have residents' support for the future events (i.e.…”

Impact of the transport system on air quality: the case of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Improvements in public transportation networks can result in more sustainable urban mobility and improved quality of life. Between 2011 and 2016, the MRRJ underwent structural improvements to host the 2014 Fifa World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games (GATO; SALAZAR, 2018; SANTOS NETO et al, 2018, VENTURA et al, 2019a. Several areas of Rio de Janeiro's downtown were restored, including the port sector (Porto Maravilha), which covers 5 km2 (Rio de Janeiro, 2009).…”

“…The Perimetral road was replaced by an expressway connecting downtown to the airport and major roads via a new urban tunnel (Marcelo Alencar's tunnel), which is the world's largest. Furthermore, a new road (Via Binário do Porto) was built to connect to a new tunnel (Rio 450 tunnel) (GATO; SALAZAR, 2018;PORTO MARAVILHA, 2021;SANTOS NETO et al, 2018). The region's automobile circulation was improved due to these changes (Table 1).…”