To ensure its longevity, developers of London's Olympic Park have made integration of its facilities into a larger urban renewal plan a priority.
Other cities have faced similar post-Olympics challenges, and some have never been able to use the infrastructure they built for the Games to its full capacity afterward, says Nikos Karadimitriou, a lecturer in urban planning at University College London, who was hired as a junior urban planner during the Olympics in Athens in 2004. The real question is how to use the venues and infrastructure so that they "impact the social fabric in a positive way for years to come", Mr. Karadimitriou says. "This has been successfully implemented in cities with a long-term development strategy."
Barcelona, which held the summer Olympic Games in 1992, is usually cited as an Olympic legacy success story. Three kilometers of derelict industrial waterfront was transformed by the Olympic village, and after the Games provided locals with new access to the sea and a new and highly popular esplanade, where restaurants and other leisure facilities have flourished. In Athens, however, where the Games were held in 2004, many of the 22 venues built for the Games lie abandoned.
FULL STORY: London Looks to Learn From Others' Olympic Mistakes
Abandoned Olympic Venues Cast Doubt on the Value of Hosting
Though cities hope for an economic boost, these photos show it's far from guaranteed.
For Host Cities, Olympic Legacies Are Mixed
The two-week competition is often touted as a galvanizing force for urban development. But that's only cities include the Games' legacy in their planning process from the start.
In the Shadow of the Olympics: Dickensian Squalor
Simon Clark and Chris Spillane document the illegal, and often squalid, housing that can be found only three miles from the gleaming Olympic Stadium.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.
Zero-Emission Bus Fleets Grow, But Federal Funding Is in Jeopardy
Transit agencies around the country have purchased over 7,000 zero-emission buses, but a federal program that funds the shift could be eliminated under the new administration.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Wisconsin Governor Opens Window for Regional Transit Authority
The proposed state budget includes a provision that allows local governments to establish a dedicated transit tax.
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