Olympic Ruins

Mark Byrnes of The Atlantic Cities:

Beijing Olympics officials approached the 2008 Games as an opportunity to host the world’s biggest sporting event, not to create infrastructure of permanent importance. Now Beijing is left with a post-Olympics landscape that better suits the taste of ruin porn aficionados than urban development officials.

I love the Olympics. It seems like such a spectacular celebration of the human spirit. I love learning about the place and culture of the host. I love the amazing stories of triumph and courage. I just love the whole Olympic experience and I’m looking forward to the London games starting later this month. That being said, I have always questioned the wisdom of doing such specialized structures and infrastructure for games that last just a few weeks. What does that do to a place after the games are over? Unfortunately we have our answer in the dismal pictures of the deserted venues 4 short years after the 2008 Beijing games. My hope is that London can do a better job of finding new uses and integrating their venues into the life of the city after the spectacle is over.