Olympic Technologies

ABSTRACT

The Olympic Games bring tremendous impacts to host cities, yet little attention has been paid to the variety and novelty in urban technologies that are introduced through the mega-event vehicle. This paper argues that urban transformation associated with the Olympic Games increasingly spans the technological sphere. As a path-breaker the Olympic bid of Tokyo foreshadows a technological revolution that will make the capital of Japan the most advanced urban technology metropolis in the world. This is significant, as this pioneer for the city of the future may yield many valuable insights given the rapid implementation and acceleration of technological innovation proceeding into 2020. Consequently, lessons on how this technology may impact our society can be derived.

KEYWORDS:

• Olympic
• Tokyo
• technology revolution
• smart city
• pioneer

Note on Contributors

Eva Kassens Noor is an associate professor of urban and transport planning in the School of Planning, Design, and Construction (SPDC) at Michigan State University. She holds a joint appointment with the Global Urban Studies Program (GUSP) and is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Geography. She graduated in 2009 from MIT with an PhD in Urban Planning (Department of Urban Planning and Studies) and a SM in Transportation (Civil and Environmental Engineering). She also received her degree (Diplom-Ingenieur) from the Universität Karlsruhe (TH) in Business Engineering. Her research work centers around resilience, sustainability, and large-scale urban planning projects that are triggered by global forces. Most of her work focuses how mega-events like the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, and World Expositions transform urban space.

Tatsuya Fukushige is a researcher at Public Planning & Policy Studies, Inc., in Japan. He graduated in 2012 from Michigan State University with a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. He also received his BA degree from Rikkyo University in Economic Policy Studies. His work focuses on how the allocation of road space affects the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

ORCID

Eva Kassens-Noor http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4311-7239

Notes

1 While London also had a Technology Center, it was used as a supporting service and not as the lead unit during the 2012 Olympic Games.