The Case of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
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Copyright (c) 2026 Alain Bourdin, Helene Dang Vu, Joel Idt, Jules Meunier
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urban project, temporality, Paris Metropolitan Area, Olympic GamesAbstract
This article examines the role of temporalities in complex urban projects using the case study of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Based on interviews and document analysis, it develops a method, that we call the ‘timeline’, which highlights how heterogeneous temporalities are coordinated throughout project management. The paper argues that coordination is not given but progressively built through instruments, interactions between actors, and shared frames of reference. The Olympic programme is thus understood as a set of interdependent action systems whose temporal alignment is not given in advance but emerged as a result of the project. The article contributes to planning theory by conceptualising the urban project as a mechanism for coordinating multiple temporalities in situations of uncertainty.
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