Urban planning law in the face of the Olympic challenge: Between innovation and criticism of exceptional urban regeneration

Abstract

Being awarded the organisation the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OG) implies that the host cities must tackle several major challenges: The mandatory delivery of the Olympic venues (sport, transport and athletes housing) by the date of the OPG, and the post-Olympic sustainability. Organising the Games demands exceptional urban planning and governance. This article analyses planning law amendments to be made for the OPG in various fields (environment, building permits, participation, etc.), and looks at the link between the level of waiver and the implementation of certain types of urban planning projects (sport venues and flagship projects of international scope). The study is based on a comparative approach to three Olympiads: Paris 2024, London 2012 and Athens 2004, each representing a different level of interaction between the urban project and the Olympic projects. Three aspects are addressed: (1) the political, legal and planning strategies of how to integrate the OPG project into urban mega-projects (which are ‘exceptional’ projects by nature); (2) the waivers and innovations in town planning law; (3) a critical analysis of the specific governance and the socio-economic impacts of these mega-projects on the local residents.