chicago is not a mega city????actually and i am not joking indianapolis would be a great pick. in regards to sporting venues. consesco field house, the new colts stadium, the triple AAA baseball field, are all within walking distance. they just had the track and field championships here. theres an excellent natatorium. theres a new convention center being built. new hotels etc. plus an race track for when they make nascar an olympic sport.

no - chicago is a cow town -

it was in 1999...

does Chicago need anymore disappointments? After the bears loss this season

that means more construction!!!

someone in the radio said
"Chicago has two seasons... winter and construction"


I am not ready for more construction!
However, for the good of the economy,
I hope Chicago gets 2016 Olympic

Pipe dream.

Chicago is the jam.

Seriously, if shit cities like Atlanta or Salt Lake City have had olympics, I see no reason why Chicago can't rock this one.

And f la.

-andrew

As I think I said in a previous thread about this, Chicago clearly has an incredibly bid. It would probably be the densest and likely greenest Olympics ever. But if we accept that the Olympics are significantly an event for cultural exchange and global cooperation, I think it's really important for a South American or African city to finally get the games.

Chicago is gorgeous and not the least bit a cow town. It's got some of the most sustainably progressive practices in the US going on right now, and despite the freeway system being a nightmare (as it is in LA), it's infrastructure is as good as any you'll find. It's also one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country. I think it's great they got the bid.

how's the mass transit there. Its been a while since landing in Chicago and its likely to double if not triple the population within the 2 weeks of the Olympiad

ust look at bcn - beautiful great place - but look at the venues [ghost town for some] -- i only said cow town to get the conversation going but with so many venue needed to be built in any city - even when the after-use is well planned - i think there needs to be a huge population in place - a mega city - that can utilize those venues after the fact - its only 2 weeks at the end of the day so its what happens after the 2 weeks that matters. bcn has some venues that are deteriorating so badly that i bet they are torn down shortly.

chicago is planning to trash a beautiful park - jackson park for the olymics. -

i think only very large metropolis - mega metropolis are suited to support the afterlife of these venues.

any greeks want to voice in on athens post olympics?

I think differently

its the places that have needed a jump start in their infrastructure (but for whatever reason hasn't) should host the Olympics. So as our eight tentacled friend, archtopus said they should be hosted by a South American or African nation. Esp if you are looking for a green Olympics Brasil would likely win hands down.

chicago has ten freakin million people...

so expect 20 nice!

wouldn't brazil cut more trees of amazon if brazil hosts olympic?

you are probably correct

hmm i guess we should use one of those old stadiums that they previously built huh? That might be the greenest solution

I say we just fly the olymipians in and land the stadium right inside one of our old stadiums. Then it will be both new and green.



Besides, it worked so well the first time.

The city of Chicago is bigger than the city of Paris... And the metro areas are comparable in size. Chicago has a lot of the infrastructure already in place, and offered the compact plan that the IOC favors these days. Pundits are calling Chicago the front-runner in the international competition, with Rio a close second. However, Rio is likely to get the 2014 World Cup, and that will possibly negate any Olympic plans.

Chicago has a great chance here, and Chicago has the muscle and attitude to pull it off. It will be great for Chi-town to show the rest of the world that it isn't the same rust-belt manufacturing city it was in 1980.

I think the surprise of Chicago is that it already is a giant metropolis but people on the coasts forget that. In the statistical area it's 10 million. In real terms of its central location to a sprawling series of flatland cities its probaly closer to 15 million. A good measure is to see the advertisers data for Chicago's TV station coverage area.

In the club of "world cities" Chicago is certainly a comer, but its there and it's moving up - fast. Anyone who doubts this need look only at the reach of it's markets, geographic location as an east west, north south continental traffic hub and enormous capacity to absorb people and move them about efficiently.

Also- the comparison to Paris is very relevant - Paris is an inland Provincial city with no international border. It has been said Paris's greatest epoch - the Belle Epoch was at precisely the same time it's flat hinterlands were hollowing out. The same can be true of the midwest - as it's population migrates out - a core concentration will gravitate to it's center.

TED-

I dont agree that only mega cities have the resources to maintain the boom that hosting an olympics would bring.
I think one thing thats really interesting about the chicago bid is that it is proposing projects that are both scaleable (in the case of the temporary stadium for opening ceremonies), localized enough as to have lasting impacts (south side athletic facilities), and would be economically feasible whether the olyimpics were coming or not (lake shore houseing/athlete housing)

as far as infrastructure goes, before people turn this into a trashing of the CTA. The infrastructure could handle the population. Especially after the necessary money is poured into the CTA to replace, improve and expand its existing train and bus system.

i am incredibly excited about the possibility of chicago getting the olyimpcs for a couple of reasons.

1.the cta would get fixed for good...

2.i see chicagos particularly strong local (ward level) leadership a perfect match to maximize the impact of olyimpc legacy projects, which the IOC seems to really value after athens

3. most chicagoans are fiercy loyal and in love with their city and i am positive that the city would spring at the chance to truely show itself off.

TED, I think #27 on the list of largest cities in the world would count as a "mega city." Not sure I buy your argument though. Chicago is certinaly a great city and worthy of hosting an olympics, but I think it's an opportunity lost to bring much publicity and investment to a smaller, lower profile city. Wasn't Denver in the running a while back? I think some high altitude summer olympics would be interesting to watch.

i think chicago would be a wonderful place to host the games...

(better than having that mangy blue thingy down in hotlanta)

i think the people of chicago would really help our image as a country...

i wish the city would have had a little bit of foresight before the renovation of soldier field...

and getting the games would throw a ton of money into the CTA! That would be spectacular! (Hello Circle Line!)

But I do agree with archinectophilia's comments, it would be nice to use the games as a stimulus in countries and cities that need it...

...but since I'm in Chicago, I wouldn't want to pass on this opportunity!

Chicago All the Way!

Suck It LA!

Hey - be nice to LA

Yeah, those 1984 games really did the city proud!

if chicago can handle 400 thousand people going down to grant park for a fireworks show it can handle the olympics. jeesh.

I'm certainly not in a mega city and were hosting an Olympics. Although typically the Winter Olympics are always somewhat smaller, it sure drives the local economy into a frenzzy for a while.

Ha --- here in denmark the sports, --- that mean the sole Lotto and Tips buisness to, are jettisoned the states television company , reson ; a new designed concert hall blew the expenses so cut-downs in staff and type of projections are now compleatly _without_ sports.

See the Lotto and Tips can than'k the danish radion for their mountain of money --- yet it hurt to much to add the pot even they could maneage tree new concert halls just like that. So the Olympic rights to are sold and finaly, finaly we again can be without the silli commercials about Sports and Lotto and the television company acturly paying, for bringing the Lotto and Tips results , usefull idiots so to say --- but not that is Over.

Think about it, it was a new spetacular piece of ac-architecture that spiraled the cost so high that they by relive quittet a silli arangement.

So spetacular architecture can have uses.

This also sould bring a justified solution ; instead of bragging silli and stupid Sports jurnalists Lotto and Tips could simply deliver the credits, they for near 60 years have profited free, in this small contry, perhaps X mountains of money each month, are better than realising that when the danish radio transmitted a football match and acturly payed for that was silli as , where could that end?

I tried posting these oppinions at danish usenet in politics (small contry) , what's your guess ; do you think my oppinion come open ?

I hear Chicago's best shot is that NBC starts a new television deal with the Olympic Games Foundation in 2016 and that the largest television market is the Central Time Zone of the north and south american continents - seems logical. Although a Chicago lotto would be interesting to see how it gets robbed of funds in classic chicago fashion.

Here in Dk. Tips and Lotto are restricted one company has been I guess, as Eu. rules are different. so if this could mean a compromise, this compromise would be late, but obvious as Tips and Lotto been sort of protected -- maybe your chicago parelell -- and it proberly are difficult to realise such arangement , but after 60 years of free support, it would become quite popular when Lotto and Tips agrea and that way, make room for even more concert halls and this time, payed commersials , --- that the sports start pay for their matches.

oh come on.. its not the olympic torch, its obviously that floating castle in space from the neverending story.