Olympics

Aerial view of the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

Meet the New River Seine

The Paris Olympics will highlight the renaissance of the city’s famous river.

August 17, 2023 - World Crunch

1984 Olympics

L.A. Seeking Funding for New Transit Projects Prior to the 2028 Summer Olympics

Los Angeles officials have been working for years to deliver a suite of transit projects in time for the 2028 Olympics. Planners now hope federal infrastructure funding could reinvigorate the effort.

June 20, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus Streets

Video: The Athletic Feats Required to Navigate NYC

A video from Transportation Alternatives highlights the infrastructure failures that can make getting around the city an Olympian feat.

August 10, 2021 - StreetsBlog NYC

UC Irvine Anteater Express

Can Hydrogen Make a Comeback?

While hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are much less popular than their battery-powered siblings, California remains committed to the zero-emission technology, with three state agencies investing in and monitoring its progress.

January 16, 2020 - CALmatters

Streetcar

Calls to Bring the Olympic Streetcar Back to Vancouver

Vancouver's mile-long street car was built for the Olympics and ran for only 60 days, but some of the city's residents want that service back.

March 9, 2018 - Next City

Brazil Olympics

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.

February 17, 2018 - Business Insider

Favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio's Pricey Sky Gondola Goes Full Stop

The sky gondola system built prior to the Rio Olympics has ground to a halt, leaving residents of the city's favelas with little to show for such a grand investment in infrastructure.

March 1, 2017 - DW.com

London 2012 Olympic Games

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.

August 25, 2016 - Curbed

London 2012 Olympic Games

Going For the Gold: When Town Planning Was an Olympic Competition

In the first half of the 20th century, the Olympic games actually had a medal competition for town planning.

August 9, 2016 - Atlas Obscura

Rio Subway

Rio's New Metro Crosses the Finishing Line Just in Time

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.

August 2, 2016 - The Washington Post

Rio Subway

Rio Scrambles to Ready Subway Before Olympics

Beset by delays and financial problems, the state of Rio is having trouble completing a new subway line before the Olympics start a month from now. The time crunch may cut into time for testing, presaging problems in August.

July 6, 2016 - Associated Press via Chicago Tribune

Boston Out of the Olympics Game for 2024

After a protracted controversy, the United States Olympic Committee officially terminated the bid for Boston to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

July 28, 2015 - New York Times

Still They Ride

A forthcoming film documents the tribulations and Olympic ambitions of the Afghani women's national cycling team, who face ridicule and harassment for riding in the public.

September 6, 2014 - CityLab

Do Canada's Active, Outdoor Winters Breed Olympics Gold?

If you need a little misery-loves-company commiseration on winter, Hazel Borys shares some pics from Winnipeg, the coldest big city on earth. How this winter city deals with the polar vortex is something we may all need to get used to.

February 13, 2014 - PlaceShakers

'Tradition and Stability' Win as Tokyo Selected to Host 2020 Olympics

With the selection of Tokyo over Istanbul and Madrid as the host of the 2020 Summer Olympics, continuing concerns over radioactivity trumped social instability and a deep economic recession as the least dangerous alternative.

September 9, 2013 - The New York Times

Economists Agree: The Olympics are a Terrible Investment

As a group from Washington, D.C. announced plans to bid for the 2024 Olympics, economists released a report on the high costs of hosting the Games for cities, including expensive infrastructure and small economic benefits.

August 28, 2013 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Olympics Earn a Gold Medal in Displacement

Lawrence Vale and Annemarie Gray compare the cases of communities displaced by the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where redevelopment for the 2016 Games is underway, and Atlanta, 20 years ago.

April 16, 2013 - Places Journal

Can a Soccer Tournament Revive Cities Across Europe?

Henry Grabar celebrates the recent decision by UEFA, European soccer's governing body, to hold their 2020 tournament in cities across the continent, rather than in one or two countries as has been the tradition.

December 13, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Do Big Events Mean Big Bucks?

In the quadrennial competition to secure mega-events such as the Olympics and political conventions, the economic benefit to host cities is regularly flaunted. Carl Bialik looks at why big events may not mean big bucks for their host cities.

August 20, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

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.

July 27, 2012 - Bloomberg

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.