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Ambition? Vision? Economics? Arrogance? The amalgamated power of the society behind it? If you think it's all of the above, read this.
I write about it in the Huffington Post. You're welcome to comment.
These pictures show you the difference. Symbols matter. So does ease of movement. So do first impressions and entries into cities and cultures.
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Images in order:
a. Beijing "Bird's Nest" stadium
b. Proposed stadium for Chicago, for the Olympics 2016 bid
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a. Magnetic levitation train between Shanghai and its airport
b. Blue Line train between O'Hare and Chicago
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a. New terminal at Beijing airport
b. new terminal at Chicago Midway airport
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More from me on China here.
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4 comments:
Yep, looks pretty bad. The stadium design is anemic. I personally don't see how the committee could choose Chicago.
The Mayor seems to be doing a very good job with such efforts as Millennium Park, but the visuals for his Olympic plans seem to lack inspiration.
Beijing will be a very tough act to follow.
Chicago needs the culture to back this kind of vision.
I disagree. Why show the L between O'Hare and Downtown and then show Midway?
http://www.viewpoints.com/images/review/2007/275/18/1191366932-75749_full.jpg
I sure hope they don't raise taxes to build a bunch of "beautiful" structures that will then go unused after the Olympics
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEED81631F933A0575BC0A9629C8B63
"After a last-minute sprint of construction, however, the arenas and stadiums were ready for the Games. But the government is only now starting to study what to do with the swimming pools, the equestrian center, the hundreds of apartments in the Olympic Village, the multiple stadiums in Athens and other cities, and the vast amounts of office space created specifically for the Olympics."
Hello eric g,
Thanks for writing. I mentioned Midway because it has new terminals, built from scratch, recently. It gives you a sense of the quality of civic building in Chicago and some idea of what construction for the Olympics might feel like. (Of course the Mayor and the airlines are under enormous budget pressures but Midway should be more inspired.) The trains to Midway airport are the same or essentially the same as those to O'Hare. Or have they built a high-speed mag-lev to Midway while I wasn't looking?
The story you link to and quote from refers to the Athens Olympics. I suspect Beijing will fare better. Barcelona did. Close attention must be paid to long term use, it is true.
If Chicago does get the Olympics, then what we and build will tell us a lot about the city's future. We'll see who's investing in what.
If used properly the games could help revitalize parts of the city, and the public transportation system.
Again, thanks for the interesting thoughts. Any response, or anyone else care to comment? -Edward
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