Favelas and Fast Lanes: A Simulation Based Analysis of the Transport Infrastructure Preparedness of the City of Rio De Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics

Abstract

Any city chosen to host an event as large in scale as the Summer Olympics is inherently subject to the transport infrastructure strain that goes along with welcoming millions of international visitors to a single urban area. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how great this strain will be for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when it hosts the 2016 Summer Olympics next July. Planning for this sort of strain is of the utmost importance when dealing with mega-events. With Rio de Janeiro being the most congested urban area in either North or South America at the time of its bid, the transportation portion of the the city’s bid to host the Games, as put forth by the Brazil Olympic Committee in 2009, could be one of the most important ever transport strategies ever in its role in a city’s selection as host. This work will approach analyzing the e↵ectiveness of that plan through the microscopic lens of individual simulation of the spectators, media and the Games Family itself which together comprise the influx of visitors to the city. Using these microscopic simulations it will deal with macroscopic analysis of trends in the resulting traffic congestion of both roadways and mode of mass transit. It seeks to quantify and analyze the consequences of both institution and policy aspects of the transportation plan, in addition to testing underlying assumptions of several aspects of the Brazil Olympic Committee’s model. It will also attempt to contextualize expected traffic outcomes for Rio de Janeiro, with the realized outcomes of past host cities.