It was a photo finish for Line 4—one of the signature infrastructure projects of the 2016 Summer Olympics—designed to transport passengers between Ipanema beach and the Olympic Park and Village.
"To the relief of organizers, the government and the tens of thousands either working on the Games or planning to watch them, Rio finally began operating its new Olympic metro line at 6:07 a.m. on Monday," reports Dom Phillips.
The Summer Olympics open on Friday, so the Metro line opening could be described as just in time. " The new line, originally promised for 2014, had caused increasing nervousness as its opening was repeatedly postponed," writes Phillips. Just last month, the Rio state government was described as "scrambling" to finish the project—expected to be the most significant infrastructure legacy project of the games.
The article details more of the political debate surrounding this summer's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, with the new metro line as a specific case study. Similar to points made by a feature article recently published in The Nation, Phillips notes that opposition to the new metro line as a benefit primarily to already-affluent communities.
FULL STORY: Rio’s long-delayed Olympic metro line opens in the nick of time
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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