Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Urban Land Use Evolution

This paper examines the on-site and off-site impacts in the surrounding neighborhoods imposed by the Beijing 2008 Olympics. It firstly develops discussions about the site selection process before and during the bidding process, then looks into the land use evolution resulted from staging the sport event and its influences on local economics, on-site transportation improvements and reuse of the venues. The conclusion is drawn based upon data retrieved from the Beijing municipal government's database, online articles and news reports, site visit, and interviews with planners and business owners. Recommendations are supposed to shed a light on how the city could have achieved greater benefits to the local residents, and what measures it can take to improve the situation. This paper identifies the benefits and costs to local residents of staging the 2008 Olympics, and thus serving to inform planners of Beijing and of future host cities to balance between the impacts on the whole city and the impacts on the local communities when planning for similar mega-events.