As the world turns its attention to the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy, it’s a powerful moment to reflect on what enduring Olympic urban planning and infrastructure can look like.

The Richmond Olympic Oval in British Columbia stands as one of the most significant projects from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, not just as a venue, but as a catalyst for long-term community building. Designed to serve the community long after the games ended, the Oval continues to host major sporting events, conventions, trade shows, and everyday recreation, supported by restaurants, entertainment, and vibrant public space.

DIALOG led an integrated urban design and master planning process for the Oval and surrounding new community that transformed an underutilized waterfront into Richmond’s most significant civic expansion to date. As a high-density, mixed-use development, the Oval and its public realm demonstrate how Olympic investment can meaningfully shape a city’s future.

Public art also plays a role: DIALOG coordinated the public art pieces, which include the Water Sky Garden by Janet Echelman and Buster Simpson’s towering 8.95-metre tall skate blade sculptures, reinforcing the Oval as both a cultural and civic landmark.

Completed in 2006, the Richmond Olympic Oval reminds us – 20 years later – that the impact of the Olympics is carried forward in the spaces that continue to benefit communities long after the flame is extinguished.

Similar: Dear Cities: Let’s Make FIFA Count

Architecture by CannonDesign.