He Said, She Said: Chicago's 2016 Olympics

I personally think that Atlanta's movement towards its current development preexisted the Olympics and, like Beijing's Olympics last year or even Tokyo in 64 and Seoul in 88, were an international recognition of that development.

And it is rare to measure up to Burnham in terms of revolutionary planning. Which is why that I oppose using his quote, which speaks to such revolutionary thinking, in reference to something that does not even attempt to equal what he meant. I think using the truncated quote for such limited projects is a discredit to what he meant and to his legacy.

Sorry, I just had time to seriously read all of your insightful comments, and I have to agree with Anna.

Allocating money to services and programs and infrastructure that will exist long after the games would be a wiser way to spend the money. Does anyone feel like we're just modern variations of ancient Greeks here in Chicago, with a small but connected man leading the way toward the edge of the cliff, which is a metaphor for a giant mountain of almost entirely useless pork that taxpayers have been scaling by their fingertips? Is the Olympics going to be our last gilded hurrah, then a downward spiral into a city plagued by crime, and shadowy figures taking all the dough, and baking it somewhere out of reach, yet tossing the crumbs out on merciful days, and calling that a victory for its citizens?

Agreed, it will be Daley's Olympics, and not for Chicagoans. Maybe we can have it in Gary, somewhere less hectic, with more open land?

So, I am always up for a healthy debate. Ones between a cynic and an optimist usually say more about the participants than the arguement itself. However, I am willing to respond to "Koji" with hope of freeing her mind a bit and giving her some more rose-colored vision.

I am going to admit that I am far too new to this city to fully comprehend the corruption and pocket-greasing that have always been a driving force of Chicago. I recognize the fact that due to this city's history there are going to be a tremendous amount of people who are skeptical of the 2016 Olympics and who will actively oppose the games being here.

What these citizens should try to recognize is the tremendous oppurtunities that these games could provide for the city. I am not going to give statistics and itemized lists as if I were pitching to the IOC. Moreover, I find this to be a profound difference in philosophy based on pessimism and optimism. During the two years leading up to the recent election, I took part in countless debates on this very issue. My own father, who raised me to study and admire great optimists like King and Kennedy refused to believe, until the very moment of the inauguration, that this country could elect Barack Obama president.

For two years, I was accused of "drinking the Koolaid" by republicans and democrats alike. Well, the flavor of that koolaid was positivity and it sold off the shelfs. I know it's cheesy to the point of cliche now, but the simple and incredibly powerful phrase, "Yes We Can" is proving to define a country that nearly lost its soul.

One may ask why this has anything to do with the 2016 Olympics. A Chicagoan, someone who lives in the woomb of this now realizable new age, should be at the forefront of progressive global optimism. Go down to the Chicago River and take an Architecture tour. You will leave the tour knowing one thing for sure, that everything done in this city is done BIG. In the history of Chicago there has been no room for naysayers. They have been swept aside by the overwhelming ability to foresee and complete new and huge ideas.

Next year, if Chicago is chosen to host the 2016 Olympics, I believe that it will be a tremendous oppurtunity to set an exaple for the rest of the world. China failed to use the recent Beijing games as a launching point to help save the environment. Just think, the 2016 Olympics could be the the chance to introduce a green CTA. It could be the chance to prove a city of this size can function without destroying the environment.

We are already leading the way in green construction in Chicago. Sure, there will be tremendous expenses in preparing the city for the games. Can a pricetag be put on an oppurtunity like this? I know Rio would be an amazing host city for these games, but what sets Chicago apart is that it is the homebase for the newly elected leader of the free world. This is a world that is beginning to embrace America again and the ideals that this country once stood for................ Mr Sunshine

Hey Aaron, welcome as well... but, I'm sorry, I am having to take the side of llana4d here, and agree that while it would be cool to possibly host the Olympics here, the costs of doing so outweigh the benefits. (I still admire your optimism, though, don't stop believing as the song goes!).

Moving on, you mention in your response, "the tremendous opportunities that these games could provide for the city," yet I think COULD is the operative word here. Taking on the Olympics is a huge risk. It *could* be the most spectacular event ever, or it *could* be a huge flop, and an economic disaster. How are we being a showcase-worthy 'Green City' if we are tearing down 100 trees at Waveland Park, and constructing Olympic tennis courts that will cause serious harm to a bird sanctuary and natural wildlife?

see link: http://nogames.wordpress.com/2009/05/14/waveland/

lana4D- I agree with you on the Prom dress analogy. In lieu of being the top gilded dog for a week, or two I'll take a dive bar, ]flip flops, and a television in which to watch the 2016 Olympics on, which will hopefully be occurring somewhere many miles from our home sweet home of Chicago!

"Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood."

--Daniel Burnham

If, in the past, we waited until what everybody agreed was exactly the right moment to achieve great things, there would be far fewer stars on the Chicago flag.