This summer, over one million visitors, spectators, and athletes are expected to gather in the streets of Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The preparation for the event included massive investments into upgrading infrastructure, venues, and public spaces throughout the city and country. In addition to the restoration of Grande New de I'Île-des-Vannes venue, the Georges-Callerey Swimming Pool, and the Poissonniers Sports Center, the city has revealed new typologies of public services and a master plan for the Olympic Athletes Village by Dominique Perrault Architecture.
While the event of the 2024 Summer Olympics will garner an incredible amount of attention, Paris is not the only city that is bracing for a strained season of tourism this year. Venice continues to navigate a tumultuous relationship with the negative effects of over-tourism, the residents of Barcelona are voicing their concerns of displacement and economic exploitation, and cities throughout Southeast Asia continue to see correlating numbers of tourists and biodiversity loss. The impacts of over-tourism, cultural commodification, and environmental harm from tourism development are universal concerns, shared by dense urban centers and rural communities alike.
