Paris 2024 Legacy: Sustainable Urban Parks & Community Impact
The reopening of these two sites embodies the essence of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda, which aims to transform the Olympic Games into more than just a sporting event—making them a driving force for lasting social, economic, and environmental progress.
Marie Sallois, the IOC’s Director for Sustainability and Legacy, emphasizes, “The legacy we’re witnessing with these reopenings isn’t just a concept; it’s tangible, social, and evident in the lives of people who now have access to places previously unavailable to them.”
Paris 2024 marked the first edition of the Games designed entirely around the principles of the Olympic Agenda. From the outset, legacy was a priority, achieved through thoughtful venue design, collaboration with local partners, and a focus on delivering enduring benefits for communities. Today, this vision is coming to life with reopened natural spaces, new trails, and expanded parklands.
Élancourt Hill: reclaiming a scenic landmark
Standing at 231 meters, Élancourt Hill is the highest natural point in the Paris region. For many years, it remained inaccessible to locals. Originally a sandstone quarry, then a landfill site, it was rehabilitated in the 1980s but stayed fenced off and largely forgotten.
For the Games, it was transformed into the mountain biking venue, featuring a challenging course that utilized its steep terrain and offered spectacular views. Spectators enjoyed the competitions from grassy slopes and specially constructed stands, with the Paris skyline, including the Eiffel Tower, as a backdrop.
Since reopening to the public in May 2025, Élancourt Hill has become a 52-hectare recreational area. It now features mountain bike trails for all skill levels, walking paths, a free-access pump track, picnic spots, and panoramic lookout points. For the Yvelines area, which lacks large urban parks compared to central Paris, this development significantly enhances residents’ quality of life.
Parc Georges-Valbon: enhancing the green core of Seine-Saint-Denis
Further east, Parc Georges-Valbon in Seine-Saint-Denis is undergoing a major revitalization. As one of Europe’s largest urban parks at over 400 hectares, it previously had underutilized and disconnected sections. One such area, Terrain des Essences, was once a military fuel depot—closed off and heavily polluted.
This site has been cleaned and integrated into the park, adding natural habitats, walking routes, and zones for biodiversity. This expansion not only enlarges the park but also improves accessibility through enhanced transportation links.
During the Games, Parc Georges-Valbon functioned as an official fan zone, hosting concerts, community activities, and large-scale Olympic viewing events, attracting tens of thousands. Its expansion now solidifies its role as a lasting green space in one of France’s most densely populated and least green regions.
Paris 2024: the first Games fully guided by Olympic Agenda principles
Paris 2024 was the first Olympic Games fully aligned with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, which focus on creating sustainable Olympic and Paralympic events. The Agenda encourages host cities to maximize positive impacts while minimizing environmental harm by reusing venues, fast-tracking infrastructure beneficial to local residents, promoting physical activity, and integrating legacy planning from the start.
With 95% of venues either existing or temporary, Paris 2024 was designed to act as a catalyst for long-term transformation, especially in Seine-Saint-Denis—a young, diverse, and historically underserved department lacking in transportation, sports facilities, and green spaces.
About one-third of the Olympic venues were located in Seine-Saint-Denis, including the Aquatics Centre, Olympic Village, and key celebration areas, all positioned strategically to benefit the local community by increasing access to housing, sports facilities, and parks.
“As we approach the first anniversary of the Games, the reopenings of Élancourt Hill and Parc Georges-Valbon provide a clear answer to a vital question: what do the Games leave behind?” Sallois reflects. “In Paris, they leave communities that are greener and more interconnected, and we are only beginning to witness the lasting impact of this legacy.”
Marie Sallois, the IOC’s Director for Sustainability and Legacy, emphasizes, “The legacy we’re witnessing with these reopenings isn’t just a concept; it’s tangible, social, and evident in the lives of people who now have access to places previously unavailable to them.”
Paris 2024 marked the first edition of the Games designed entirely around the principles of the Olympic Agenda. From the outset, legacy was a priority, achieved through thoughtful venue design, collaboration with local partners, and a focus on delivering enduring benefits for communities. Today, this vision is coming to life with reopened natural spaces, new trails, and expanded parklands.
Élancourt Hill: reclaiming a scenic landmark
Standing at 231 meters, Élancourt Hill is the highest natural point in the Paris region. For many years, it remained inaccessible to locals. Originally a sandstone quarry, then a landfill site, it was rehabilitated in the 1980s but stayed fenced off and largely forgotten.
For the Games, it was transformed into the mountain biking venue, featuring a challenging course that utilized its steep terrain and offered spectacular views. Spectators enjoyed the competitions from grassy slopes and specially constructed stands, with the Paris skyline, including the Eiffel Tower, as a backdrop.
Since reopening to the public in May 2025, Élancourt Hill has become a 52-hectare recreational area. It now features mountain bike trails for all skill levels, walking paths, a free-access pump track, picnic spots, and panoramic lookout points. For the Yvelines area, which lacks large urban parks compared to central Paris, this development significantly enhances residents’ quality of life.
Parc Georges-Valbon: enhancing the green core of Seine-Saint-Denis
Further east, Parc Georges-Valbon in Seine-Saint-Denis is undergoing a major revitalization. As one of Europe’s largest urban parks at over 400 hectares, it previously had underutilized and disconnected sections. One such area, Terrain des Essences, was once a military fuel depot—closed off and heavily polluted.
This site has been cleaned and integrated into the park, adding natural habitats, walking routes, and zones for biodiversity. This expansion not only enlarges the park but also improves accessibility through enhanced transportation links.
During the Games, Parc Georges-Valbon functioned as an official fan zone, hosting concerts, community activities, and large-scale Olympic viewing events, attracting tens of thousands. Its expansion now solidifies its role as a lasting green space in one of France’s most densely populated and least green regions.
Paris 2024: the first Games fully guided by Olympic Agenda principles
Paris 2024 was the first Olympic Games fully aligned with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, which focus on creating sustainable Olympic and Paralympic events. The Agenda encourages host cities to maximize positive impacts while minimizing environmental harm by reusing venues, fast-tracking infrastructure beneficial to local residents, promoting physical activity, and integrating legacy planning from the start.
With 95% of venues either existing or temporary, Paris 2024 was designed to act as a catalyst for long-term transformation, especially in Seine-Saint-Denis—a young, diverse, and historically underserved department lacking in transportation, sports facilities, and green spaces.
About one-third of the Olympic venues were located in Seine-Saint-Denis, including the Aquatics Centre, Olympic Village, and key celebration areas, all positioned strategically to benefit the local community by increasing access to housing, sports facilities, and parks.
“As we approach the first anniversary of the Games, the reopenings of Élancourt Hill and Parc Georges-Valbon provide a clear answer to a vital question: what do the Games leave behind?” Sallois reflects. “In Paris, they leave communities that are greener and more interconnected, and we are only beginning to witness the lasting impact of this legacy.”
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