Planning Models and the Olympic Games: the Influence of Barcelona in Rio de Janeiro’s Mega-event Strategy (1995-2016)

Abstract

After twenty-five years since its inception, the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games remain a benchmark of urban development policy. This "mega-event strategy" is part and parcel of the achievements observed in the city: the transformation of areas of declining economic activity, the relevance of the public space and the city marketing facilitated by the media reach of the event. This article analyzes the influence of the experience of Barcelona in the elaboration of Olympic bids by the city of Rio de Janeiro. The relationship between the political actors of the two cities runs through the last three decades and allows us to evaluate how best practices are rationalized, how expert knowledge circulate and then to examine the politics of the adaptation process of models in urban policies.