The Social and Spatial Impacts of Olympic Image Construction: The Case of Beijing 2008

Abstract

The last few decades have witnessed a marked escalation in the attractiveness of mega-events as tools of place-promotion, urban image construction and city marketing. Cities looking for a competitive advantage in the mythical global inter-urban competition perceive hosting high-profile, global-scale events as an opportunity to reinvent their image and enhance their visibility. Hosting mega-events is increasingly appealing as a means of urban redevelopment, helping both finance and legitimate large-scale urban transformations and infrastructure improvements. The sense of urgency stimulated by the fixed deadline of these events often justifies the ‘fast-tracking’ of key projects, allowing local governments to reprioritize the urban agenda while bypassing the usual regulatory and consultative processes.¹ Mega-events also represent opportunities for urban authorities to stimulate civic pride, revive local identity, and to transform their cities’ human environment through social beautification and disciplining programs. These events are often harnessed as powerful tools of social engineering to transform both the body and the mind of the population and produce a tame and obedient citizenry.² The intense mediatisation of mega-events and their rising role in city marketing and national boosterism have placed citizen behaviour at the forefront for image-conscious civic leaders, event organisers and international federations.