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February 18, 2005
NYC's Olympic dreams leave some still hoping
From NewYorkGames.org
NYC's Olympic dreams leave some still hoping
Metro Feb 16 op-ed
Theodore Hamm
Ideally, the decentralized design of the NYC2012 plan allows for all five boroughs to benefit. But in reality, most of the primary Olympic facilities would be located in areas of the city that are either already growing rapidly or, like "West Midtown," are neighborhoods that will inevitablly grow whether or not the Olympics come to town.
Property values also are high in downtown Brooklyn, where the proposed Nets stadium would become home to gymnastics events.
The one site in the city where the games could have been centrally located, Flushing Meadows, instead would be home to some of the games least glamorous events, like the Archery Field and Water Polo Center. Meanwhile, the city's "poorest and most deprived areas," from East New York to East Harlem, would not benefit in any way from the 2012 plan.
NYC2012 promises to disrupt growth where it already exists, and not generate new growth in areas of the city that need it most. The International Olympic Committee thus would be doing the city a big favor by sending Michael Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff back to the drawing board.
Posted by lumi at February 18, 2005 5:27 PM