Olympics

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

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

Can Madrid's Bid for a Thrifty Olympics Succeed?

As the start of London's summer games grows near, the competition to host the 2020 Olympics is heating up. Paul Sonne looks at whether the "shoestring" bid of Madrid, formed amidst Spain's austerity drive, can beat out the other finalists.

July 17, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

London's Olympian Traffic Headache

With the Olympic games, and millions of visitors, descending on London this summer, Sarah Lyall looks at how the capital city is hoping to spare users of its ancient road network and temperamental subway system from a transportation nightmare.

May 29, 2012 - The New York Times

Planning for the 2016 Olympics in Rio

The City of Rio de Janeiro announced the winner of its design contest for the 2016 Olympic Park. Contestants also designed a master-planned, mixed-use neighborhood to take over the space post-Olympics.

October 27, 2011 - 2016 Olympic Park Competition

Planners Working to Avoiding Transportation Disaster at Olympic Games

Olympic Planners have just ten months left to prepare for an anticipated 15 million trips a day during the event in an already congested city. So far, about 6.5 billion pounds ($10.2 billion) has been invested.

October 23, 2011 - The Washington Post

The Challenge of Creating a City from the Olympics

The success of the 2012 Olympics in London likely won't be evident until after the event, which is seeking to repurpose a down-and-out part of town into a new neighborhood.

August 26, 2011 - London Evening Standard

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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