What Los Angeles Can Learn From Paris’ Olympic Village
Aug 21, 2024
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Discover how the Olympic Village in Paris is attempting to redefine urban development after the games. The conversation tackles accusations of gentrification and the urgent need for sustainable practices. It delves into the challenges cities face with tight deadlines and the pressure to balance community needs with large-scale projects. Insights on how Los Angeles can avoid past pitfalls while preparing for the 2028 Games add depth to the discussion. Tune in for lessons on urban planning, sustainability, and the reality of hosting global sporting events.
Paris' Olympic Village faces scrutiny over affordable housing and gentrification, reflecting challenges seen in previous Olympic cities.
The rush to meet deadlines often compromises sustainability and community needs in large-scale developments like the Olympic projects.
Deep dives
Local Motive Training Sessions Overview
A series of live workshops called Local Motive Training Sessions have been scheduled to run every Thursday from September 12th to October 31st, focusing on providing advocates with essential tools to strengthen their communities. These sessions cover a range of topics, including children's safety during commutes, housing investments that reinforce neighborhoods while preventing displacement, and the creation of community spaces through tactical urbanism. Notable guest speakers from organizations like Better Block and Blue Zones will join, along with representatives from Strong Towns, thereby enriching the discussions. Participants can attend individual sessions for $25 or opt for a full package of all eight sessions for $125, with proceeds supporting the Strong Towns mission.
Paris Olympics and Its Impact
The conversation centers on the Paris Olympics and the significant financial implications involved, with an estimated budget of $8.2 billion, including $1.5 billion allocated for the creation of the Olympic Village. Built on a previously industrial site 6 miles from downtown, this eco-sustainable community aims to host over 15,000 athletes but faces scrutiny regarding its long-term viability after the Olympics conclude. Critics express doubt about achieving promises related to affordable and sustainable housing, citing failures seen in previous Olympic cities like Rio de Janeiro and London, particularly regarding issues of gentrification and empty facilities. Conversely, the design may offer a precedent for effective social and transit-oriented development in urban planning, potentially serving as a model for American cities.
Challenges of Timely Olympic Project Delivery
For the Olympics, the primary focus often shifts to meeting strict deadlines, which can overshadow other crucial goals such as sustainability and social responsibility. The discussion highlights the conflict between aspirational project outcomes and the harsh realities of large-scale developments that must conform to tight schedules and budget constraints. Often, the rush to complete projects leads to compromises in values, resulting in problems like environmental degradation and community displacement. The scenario presents a recurring theme in Olympic planning, where the aspiration for a seamless integration of facilities into the community is often sacrificed for timely completion.
Incremental Development vs. Large-Scale Projects
The dialogue reflects on contrasting approaches between incremental development and large-scale Olympic projects, emphasizing the need for a deeper community focus in planning efforts. While initial intentions may align with the creation of equitable and environmentally sensitive developments, the pressure of high-stakes timelines often undermines those commitments, leading to unfavorable outcomes. This broader concern about urban planning surfaces critical questions about the effectiveness of Olympic projects and their potential to serve the community post-event. Ultimately, pursuing development that emphasizes gradual, community-driven initiatives could yield more sustainable and lasting benefits for urban citizens.
In this episode of Upzoned, co-hosts Abby Newsham and Chuck Marohn talk about the Olympic Village that was built in Paris and what the city plans to do with the development now that the Games are over. They discuss the accusations of gentrification and greenwashing that Paris officials are facing, the challenges inherent in trying to complete large-scale, sustainable projects on a deadline, and lessons that both Paris and Los Angeles — which will be hosting the 2028 Games — can take from past hosts.