(University of Oregon, 2008-09) Blaser, Andrea, 1983-
A media uproar occurred in 2006 after a wrecking ball flattened an Imperial-era
hutong neighborhood in Beijing. While this kind of news story would often be ignored as
just another example ofthe Chinese government destroying cultural history in the name
of progress, the story of Qianmen had a new twist. Not only was Qianmen a protected
heritage area under a 2002 Beijing Municipal Government Conservation Plan, but the
destruction was said to have happened because ofthe upcoming 2008 Summer Olympic
Games. Was the development of Qianmen in step with Olympic ideals and sustainable
development?
This thesis explores the sustainable development agenda of the International
Olympic Committee, Agenda 21, in order to analyze the agenda, its impact in driving
development policies in host cities Sydney, Australia and Beijing, China, and to what
extent planners incorporated historic preservation into Olympic development policies in
both cities.
