Andrew Smith speaks at symposium on Olympic Urbanism at University College London

This symposium explored the implications of staging the Olympic Games for host cities, with a focus on planning histories and long-term legacies. The event was held in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at the new UCL East Campus.

This event accompanied the publication of a special issue of the journal Planning Perspectives on Olympic Urbanism, as well as the launch of the fourth edition of the book Olympic Cities. Andrew Smith introduced and launched this special issue, which was co-produced with the journal’s editors to coincide with the forthcoming Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Andrew Smith was the guest editor of this special issue, which features ten papers and an introductory editorial. Professor Smith also contributed as an author to the new edition of Olympic Cities.

The Olympic Urbanism symposium brought together a group of international scholars who contributed to these publications and invited them to further explore the ideas and practices that have shaped and reshaped the ways in which cities have responded to hosting the Games. 

The symposium featured notable speakers from around the world, including from Switzerland, Australia and France. The event was organised and introduced by Professor John Gold from the Barlett School of Architecture at UCL. Speakers also included alumnus Gabriel Silvestre, a graduate of the Tourism Management MA at the University of Westminster and now a Senior Lecturer in Planning at Newcastle University. Attendees heard about the forthcoming Paris Olympics, the 2050 masterplan for Sydney Olympic Park and the way the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic project draws on previous editions staged in the city. 

Andrew Smith said: "I was really pleased to contribute to this event alongside some notable Olympic scholars. This was a fantastic opportunity to publicise the new special Olympic issue of Planning Perspectives at an event staged within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park."

Andrew Smith’s contributions to this field of study directly relate to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

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