Rita Lee Park: Transforming Rio’s Olympic Legacy into a Green Urban Oasis

Located in Barra da Tijuca, Brazil, Rita Lee Park, formerly the Olympic Park, represents an innovative approach to urban regeneration and ecological restoration. Designed by Ecomimesis Soluções Ecológicas and completed in 2024, this 136,000 m² park transforms the 2016 Olympic Games infrastructure into a vibrant, nature-centered public space. Led by architects Amanda Saboya, Caroline Fernandes, and Pierre-André Martin, the project redefines Rio de Janeiro’s urban landscape while promoting recreation, biodiversity, and social interaction.

From Olympic Venue to Urban Green Space

The original Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca featured major sports facilities, including the Tennis Center, Cariocas Arenas, and Live Site, all connected by the wide pedestrian Olympic Way and Garden Terraces. These spaces were initially designed to host massive crowds during the Games, providing seamless circulation and grand terraces for spectators.

After the Olympics, the Rio City Hall tendered the redevelopment of the site to convert it into a lasting Olympic legacy. The winning proposal by Ecomimesis reimagined the Olympic Way, Live Site, and surrounding terraces into a public park enriched with native vegetation, recreational areas, and multifunctional spaces, ensuring year-round usability.

Innovative Park Design: Linear and Urban Typologies

The park is divided into two complementary typologies: Linear Park and Urban Park, seamlessly integrated throughout the site.

Linear Park spans 1.2 kilometers along the Olympic Way, featuring a 60-meter-wide pedestrian path shaded by native Atlantic Forest trees, seating areas, rest zones, public restrooms, and social interaction spaces. Vegetated beds, urban furniture, and meeting points along this path redefine the circulation experience while enhancing environmental quality.

Urban Park offers a more playful and interactive experience with distinct zones for recreation, sport, and leisure. The area includes:

• Children’s area with age-appropriate toys and aquatic play features
• Sitting and picnic zones for families
• Sports facilities like futmesa, table tennis, basketball courts, and climbing walls
• Skate park with diverse obstacles for skateboarding enthusiasts

This thoughtful design promotes social engagement, physical activity, and cultural interaction, creating a unique identity compared to other city parks.

Ecological Restoration and Sustainability

Rita Lee Park emphasizes environmental restoration through the creation of over 800 m² of Atlantic Forest groves and planting 1,100 native trees. The park integrates permeable green areas totaling more than 8,000 m², facilitating natural water absorption and supporting urban biodiversity. As part of Rio de Janeiro’s network of green and blue spaces, the project aims to reconnect fragmented ecosystems and foster meaningful interactions between local fauna and flora.

Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Wellbeing

The park’s development employs Nature-Based Solutions to address urban ecological challenges, enhance climate resilience, and promote community awareness about the relationship between nature, biodiversity, and society. By restoring urban green corridors and integrating ecological design strategies, Rita Lee Park becomes a model for sustainable urban planning in dense metropolitan areas.

A Cultural and Recreational Landmark

Named in honor of the Brazilian artist Rita Lee, the park celebrates local culture while offering modern design elements. The use of colorful flooring, playful equipment, and diverse recreational areas makes it an engaging destination for families, sports enthusiasts, and visitors seeking leisure in a green, urban environment.

Rita Lee Park demonstrates how adaptive reuse, ecological restoration, and urban design can coexist to create multifunctional public spaces that enhance both environmental sustainability and human well-being. This transformative project redefines Rio’s Olympic legacy, providing a permanent green lung for the city and an exemplary model for urban parks worldwide.