Beijing 2008–2022: fast-evolving policy, planning, and architectural approaches to the Summer and Winter Olympic Games

Throughout the twentieth century, mega-events have long been framed as a one-off spectacle that cannot be readily duplicated. Recently, several cities have begun organizing these mega projects in quick succession. Until now, research has explored little of the planning dynamics between multiple events, their wider impacts and legacy. By providing a historic overview covering Beijing’s 2008 and 2022 Olympic Games, we explore the relationships between mega-event planning, delivery, and legacy. Through this investigation, we examine the long-term spatial visions in regional, urban, and architectural scales across the two events. We then identify continuity or changes in approaches, in particular with reference to the re-use of mega-event infrastructures and facilities and how these affect the legacies of the events. Our findings show a clear policy learning amid shifting urban objectives, with the scale of intervention expanded from the metropolitan to macro-regional.