Financialized ecological civilization and cultural consumption: Mountain area development driven by the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

This presentation examines the paradoxical relationships between land financialization and ecological civilization, focusing on the case of Chongli, a mountain city co-hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. Formerly a poverty-stricken mountain area, the Olympics catalyzed a Chongli model of territorial development with expanded transportation networks, a thriving winter sports economy, and real estate development. It signifies a shift in mountainous urbanization but also carries consequences.

Mengke Zhang is trained as an urban geographer. Her research interests span across urban, cultural and social geography, especially in the fields of urban development and redevelopment in China, heritage conservation, culture-led regeneration, and creative and cultural industries in cities. She is currently a PhD student at EPFL and is involved in the SNSF project entitled “Uses of cultural heritage at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games of 2022”.

« Trait d’urbain » is a seminar series organised by the « Urban matters » research collective for researchers to present and discuss their work in progress.

Free entry.