The Winter Olympic Games in Turin represented a significant episode in the transition path of this type of mega-event

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Abstract

The Winter Olympic Games in Turin represented a significant episode in the transition path of this type of mega-event, which led to greater involvement of cities and their connection with a mountain area located even at a considerable distance. The subsequent evolution of the path will have to take into account the demands of sustainability increasingly, and this implies, first of all, the rejection of the construction of new sports facilities and infrastructures that are not destined for subsequent reuse and are not characterised by a neutral or, better, positive environmental balance. Therefore, WOGs – especially in Europe – will have to occur frequently in a multiplicity of locations, even in different countries, according to the existing facilities in each, considering the necessary adaptation to climate change. At the same time, a strong focus on the event’s social sustainability is essential regarding the entire territory concerned. Mountain areas, in particular, must be protagonists of the events on an equal level with the cities and benefit from them not only by boosting the tourism sector but also by improving the sustainable development of the area’s social and economic system, with an eye to the role that the mountains can play shortly, in a framework that presents significant risks, but also new opportunities for them.

Including a new theme, such as sustainability in the organisation of events and the future development of our cities, will mean that Olympic projects will once again be largely publicly funded. With the advent of the 21st century, Olympic projects have exponentially increased their capacity and size. Moreover, during this period, the spatial dimension of the event required increasingly complex spatial planning, which in turn implied the recruitment of specialised human resources. 

In this book, examples show that the best games come from planning to compete globally and locally, not just from business planning. A background becomes essential if we take this perspective: a transition from a globalised perspective for the local development of cities and regions to grow and become more extensive, wealthier, and interconnected to a more sustainable perspective, for no waste of environment, less unequal societies, no public debt for the future generation. The competition between cities in the world of tourism, economic exchanges, and reputation is more and more of the second type than the first, and the organisation of future contests should be aware of this issue. It is not only a matter of compliance with the UN’s SDGs but a new world culture and vision that is necessary.

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Keywords

• Olympic Games
• Territorial planning
• Milan-Cortina
• Regionalisation
• Olympic legacy

How to Cite

Bondonio, Piervincenzo; Bottero, Marta; Caprioli, Caterina; Dansero, Egidio; della Sala, Valerio; Guala, Chito; Mela, Alfredo; Scamuzzi, Sergio; Silvia Rota, Francesca (2024). Guidelines for Planning Future Major Events. In Turin’s Olympic Legacy The 2006 Winter Games and the Piedmont Region. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-9064-7_8

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