Creating a positive mega-event legacy : exploring the impact of the Pan American games on the west Don Lands community, Toronto

In November 2009, the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) announced that Toronto won the bid to host the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games. The Toronto bid included many ambitious policies and challenging development projects. One of the most notable development projects is the construction of the Athletes' Village on the West Don Lands (WDL), a former industrial area that Waterfront Toronto has been working to revitalize. The construction of the Village is supposed to compliment the existing plan for the WDL revitalization, as outlined in the Precinct Plan, which aims to develop the site into a mixed-use community. The intent of this Masters Research Paper is to explore whether using the WDL as a temporary site for the Village will leave a positive post-game legacy, where the goals originally set for the site are actualized. Lessons learned from three previous Olympic village conversions will be used to develop four factors that indicate whether a successful post-game village conversion will occur on the West Don Lands.