Quote:
Originally Posted by polak
Does a state of the art cancer center have the potential to revitalize the city in a recession? If done right, the Olympics can accomplish a lot more than being a "big party"
|
No it can't
I understand the infrastructure argument, but if we need the olympics to be the catalyst for that then our priorities are out of sync.
The issues with olympic infrastructure spending are twofold: lack of correct focus and lack of time.
The timing from an Olympic win to the olympics is short given the amount of infrastructure that needs to be completed, the planning and assessments, and ultimately construction. This significantly raises the cost of these projects and the potential for problems.
The lack of focus is related to what the city truly needs and the location of those services. If we are planning on spending billions of dollars in Calgary, the focus should be on how the communities are positively affected, not the olympic experience. An olympic showcase in the west village, filled with venues and press buildings may look great for those two weeks of blimp flyovers, but does that type of planning benefit Calgary longterm?