Sustainability Transformations in Olympic Host Cities

Sustainability Transformations in Olympic Host Cities by Ksenia Mokrushina B.A. and M.A. in Economics National Research University – Higher School of Economics Moscow, Russia (2008) Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in City Planning at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2012 2012 Ksenia Mokrushina. All Rights Reserved. The author here by grants to MIT the permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of the thesis document in whole or in part. Author________________________________________________________________________ Department of Urban Studies and Planning May 24, 2012 Certified by____________________________________________________________________ Associate Professor JoAnn Carmin Department of Urban Studies and Planning Thesis Supervisor Accepted by____________________________________________________________________ Professor Alan Berger Chair, MCP Committee, Department of Urban Studies and Planning 2 Sustainability Transformations in Olympic Host Cities By Ksenia Mokrushina Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning on May 24, 2012 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of City Planning ABSTRACT The Olympic Games represent an unparalleled fast-track urban development opportunity for Olympic host cities. Taking the premise that the transformational effect of the Olympics has a potential to drive long-term urban sustainability, this thesis examines how Olympic host cities can use the Olympic planning process to transition to a more sustainable model of urban development. Presenting the case of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, this thesis draws planning lessons for Sochi 2014 and other future Olympic host cities and discusses policy implications for the International Olympic Committee. The City of Vancouver’s systematic efforts to integrate sustainability principles in Olympic planning created sustainability co-benefits exceeding the initial sustainability commitments of the bid book. The development of the Olympic Village generated a massive amount of urban sustainability learning by the City planning staff, thus majorly accelerating sustainability policies in the areas of energy efficiency, green building, district energy, urban design and agriculture. Taking advantage of an unprecedented opportunity to experiment with the “urban laboratory” of the Olympics, the City fostered improved citizens’ perception of public space and transit, which gave rise to a sustained increase in transit ridership, walking and biking after the Games. The City was able to achieve these outcomes through integrating the Games into its long-term urban development strategy, strategic sustainability thinking and visioning, principled approach to planning, building partnerships with key stakeholders and leveraging resources from senior levels of government, ensuring that the interests of the organizing committee and city entrepreneurs do not dominate the planning process, engaging and consulting with community groups and educating the citizens. Lasting sustainability legacies of the Vancouver Olympics arose from a highly collaborative, inclusive and coordinated process involving all levels of government, multiple City agencies, private sector, VANOC, community groups and citizens. The applicability of the policy lessons learned from Vancouver’s case is questionable in developing countries, authoritarian regimes and cities with little to no previous experience in urban sustainability. The IOC should play a more active role in preventing sustainability debacles in these policy contexts. Thesis Supervisor: JoAnn Carmin Title: Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning Thesis Reader: Lawrence Susskind Title: Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning 3 For Sochi, my Hometown 4 Acknowledgements I am thankful to my thesis supervisor, JoAnn Carmin, Associate Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, who guided my research from the initial stage of formulating my problem question, through multiple chapter drafts and rewrites, through thesis defense to the final product you are reading now. She helped me construct and frame my argument, sharpen my key messages and hone in and build on the most important findings from my case study. I appreciate the balance of criticism and encouragement I found in JoAnn as my thesis advisor. It helped me continuously perfect my work. I owe my gratitude to my thesis reader, Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, for putting me in touch with experts in Vancouver and practitioners in previous Olympic host cities, being very supportive of and interested in my thesis topic, offering a fresh perspective on my arguments, and providing me with guidance on how to better focus my conclusions and target my policy advice. I would like to thank Judith Grant Long, Associate Professor of Urban Planning at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, for providing me with useful comments on my research and advice on the literature, and connecting me with other researches in the Olympic studies field. This thesis would not have been possible without the input from my interviewees in Vancouver: Rachel Moscovich, Scot Hein, Am Johal, Lon Laclaire, Robert VanWynsberghe, Ann Duffy, Judy Rogers, Linda Coady, Jim Godfrey, Sharon Fugman, Donna Wilson, Celine Mauboules, Karis Hiebert, Carli Edwards, Daniel Naundorf, Hugo Haley, Robin Petri, Bruce Dewar, Tom Laviolette, Linda Mix, Geoff Meggs, and Jay Wollenberg. I am immensely grateful for their time, attention, responsiveness, interest in my research, and willingness to share their ideas, experience and perspectives. I am indebted to the McEwen family for putting me in touch with a few of my interviewees, and, most importantly, for hosting me and making my time in Vancouver very special and memorable. Finally, I am deeply thankful to my Mom, Granny and Masoud for supporting me and being patient in difficult times. 5 Abbreviations AISTS - International Academy of Sports Science and Technology CEM – Corporate Environmental Management COC – Canadian Olympic Committee COPE – Coalition of Progressive Electors DTES – Downtown East Side EMS – Environmental Management System HCOTP – Host City Olympic Transportation Plan ICICS – Inclusive Inner-City Commitment Statement IF – International Federation IOC – International Olympic Committee IOCC – the Impact of Olympics on Community Coalition ISO – International Standards Organization KPI – Key Performance Indicators NEU – Neighborhood Energy Utility NOC – National Olympic Committee NPA – Non-Partisan Association OCOG – Olympic Games Organizing Committee ODP – Official Development Plan OGGI – Olympic Games Global Impact Study Project OPTT – Olympic and Paralympic Transportation Team SEA – Strategic Environmental Assessment SEFC – Southeast False Creek SEFC OV – Southeast False Creek Olympic Village SEFC NEU - Southeast False Creek Neighborhood Energy Utility SRO – Single Room Occupancy SRA – Single Room Accommodation SSET - Sustainable Sport and Event Toolkit TOROC – Torino Organizing Committee VANOC – Vancouver Organizing Committee UNCED – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 6 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 5 Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Contradictions between the Olympics and Sustainability .................................. 10 1.2 The Evolution of the Sustainability Theme in the Olympics ................................. 11 1.3 Thesis Question .......................................................................................................... 14 1.4 The Case of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games ..................................... 15 1.4.1 Case Study ............................................................................................................ 15 1.4.2 Method .................................................................................................................. 16 1.4.3 Case Study Findings ............................................................................................. 17 Chapter 2. How Host Cities Can Plan for Post-Olympic Urban Sustainability ................... 19 2.1 The Meaning of Sustainability in the Context of Olympic Games ........................ 20 2.1.1 Different Visions of Olympic Sustainability ........................................................ 20 2.2. How Can Host Cities Plan for Long-Term Post-Olympic Sustainability ............ 24 2.2.1 Olympic Legacy Planning ..................................................................................... 24 2.2.2. Social Leveraging of the Olympics ...................................................................... 25 2.2.3 Planning for Sustainability Legacies .................................................................... 26 Chapter 3. Olympic Sustainability Outcomes in Vancouver ............................................... 29 3.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................

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