Abstract des Autors

Since the founding of the modern Olympic Games, around five phases of impact on urban development can be identified. From the second phase, 1908–1932, the first urban development effects of the Olympic Games can be identified. Locations such as the Olympic Park and the Olympic Village became integral parts of the Olympic concept. In the period 1936–1956, the third phase, large Olympic infrastructures became more and more visible in the city layout. An example of this is the 130-hectare Reichssportfeld of 1936 in Berlin. In the fourth phase, 1960–1984, the organisation of the Games developed into a veritable tool for urban development, and, in the fifth and final phase from 1988 onwards, became a deliberate means for targeted, large-scale urban redevelopment. While the Games in Tokyo in 1964 and Munich in 1972 illustrated possibilities for the expansion of urban infrastructure, the examples of Barcelona in 1992, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012 showed the even greater extent of urban project developments and urban development measures. All in all, there is proof that the hosting of Olympic Games has given considerable urban development impulses, especially in the fields of traffic and technical infrastructure, green spaces and public space, residential quarter developments, sports facilities, environmental concerns and hotels. However, the developments in Montreal, Sydney, Athens and Beijing also clearly show that cost explosions, oversized Olympic sites with post-use problems and high maintenance costs can mean severe financial difficulties. A prerequisite for successful urban developments by means of Olympic Games is therefore a long-term Olympic planning that is integrated into the urban development and allows for a certain flexibility and dimensions suitable for urban development – this approach is also confirmed by the history of sports facility development.