The spatial dimension of the Olympics: the case of the Winter Games

The editions of the Olympic Games have created a major urban transformation, allowing for a new critical perspective on the latest urban dimension of the Games; in particular, the winter edition underwent profound transformations in spatial patterns. The study analyses the different spatial models of the Winter Olympic Games that have developed up to the present day. Focusing on the relationship between the Olympic Village and the urban fabric will provide valuable tools for evaluating the Olympic event on the subject territory. These spatial models show the importance of the spatial impact of the Olympic Village on the city, allowing us to consider Olympic urbanism as an asset that cannot be destroyed in the post-Olympic phase. Since the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924, the event has been organised in mountain resorts with ski resorts, sports halls and accommodation facilities. We will observe how the winter edition since Oslo 1952 has complexified into a broader spatial model. Therefore, we will analyse how creating new structures will always entail territorial changes and new impacts on the internal connections of the city and the territory. The research proposes an innovative analysis of Olympic urbanism in general and of Olympic villages in particular, which consolidates the field of study that Olympic urbanism represents and offers a valuable document for the future construction of new Olympic villages in the coming decades. In addition, the study aims to reflect on the specific case of Turin in 2006 to observe how the regional model has become the model favoured by future candidate cities. Through the analysis, we will observe how the winter edition has become a model permanently embedded in the regional strategies of host cities. We will see how the Olympic event can be crucial for planning regional infrastructure, transport systems, services and housing in regional areas.