From entrepreneurialism to utopias: heterotopic appropriation of Rio de Janeiro after mega-events

Abstract This article analyzes the appropriation of Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic space in the post-Olympic context in light of Lefebvre's (2002) production of space and division between isotopia, heterotopia, and utopia. The article approaches the context of “urban entrepreneurialism” in urban interventions in the city, in a process that seeks to attract capital through policies that have focused on a small social group, and, on the other hand, is marked by conflicts that have claimed, in a certain way, the right to the city. Different forms of appropriation of spaces and equipment related to mega-events in Rio de Janeiro were observed, especially by the local population in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the article proposes that these heterotopias can be transformed into alternative possibilities for a utopian project for the city.