New York, a city that one year ago was in its darkest hour, is now the United States' nominee to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. This week, New York City narrowly outbid San Francisco for the nomination. This is an opportunity for the city to make great strides financially, in addition to moving forward in building, infrastructure, mass transit and security developments. But if the games are to be successful, potential downsides must be addressed.
The International Olympic Committee will decide in 2005 which city will host the games. In the meantime, New York can begin working to improve its congested mass transit system. The current Olympic plan includes a commuter train between northeastern New Jersey and the city, as well extending the No. 7 subway line. Should New York start working toward realizing this plan now, New York planners can show the IOC they are serious about hosting the games in the city, while substantially alleviating future commuter strain in the New York metropolitan area.
Next, the proposed Olympic Stadium would be built on the West Side of Manhattan, on rail yards between 30th and 34th streets and 11th and 12th avenues. The facility would be built mainly for the National Football League's New York Jets, but would serve as a retractable roofed, fully furnished stadium suitable for hosting the Olympic games. The stadium would be mostly financed by the NFL franchise and with the team footing the bill, taxpayers will not have to shoulder the burden. The area surrounding the rail yards is currently home to 130 legal residents, which means a relatively few number of people would be displaced by the stadium. The potential West Side facility would be a boon to the area, especially if traffic concerns are solved.
However, planners must be aware of the presence of city residents in all the preparation. The concerns of New Yorkers must be taken into account, not merely relegated to the side; they will, after all, be the ones who must deal with the repercussions of the changes made to the city.
As for whether the city would lose money in this investment, Atlanta, Ga., was projected to reap a total of $5.1 billion from a $2.5 billion investment in 1996, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth. While New York's bid is more expensive, they will likely reap a greater profit because of it.
The issue of security is of paramount importance. New York, as was made painfully clear last year, is a target of international terrorism, and because of that, there are legitimate concerns about how prepared the city would be to deal with potential threats to its safety. Most experts agree that the city is not ready for a massive attack on its infrastructure or landmarks. The awarding of the games to New York would force the United States and the state and city of New York, as well as the IOC, to properly plan and implement high-tech, airtight security. This would likely involve the IOC's own security organization, the NYPD, FBI and other security agencies.
The long-term effects of the renovation, expansion, and development of state of the art facilities are enormously advantageous to the city and region. Olympic Village itself has been proposed to take the form of new high-rise apartments in Queens, and after the games, would remain.
As optimism flies about New York City in the coming years, it is important to take into account the views and concerns of New Yorkers who must live with the short- and long-term consequences of an international event being hosted in their city. Currently, residents in Queens feel their input was disregarded in the building of a monorail between John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports. Organizers must remember that New York City, while certainly able to host such a prestigious event, is still composed of New Yorkers, and their concerns must be addressed.
