Report Urges Olympic Planners to “Put Legacy First" - June 9, 2015

Post date
June 9, 2015

Suggests Housing, Transportation and Environmental Actions to Ensure Metro Boston and Massachusetts Benefit over Long Term

BOSTON – A new report released today outlines that Boston’s Olympic bid offers a unique opportunity to create new neighborhoods, build more housing, improve transportation infrastructure, generate short- and long-term jobs, and increase tourism in the Boston region. But the report says this can happen only if Boston 2024, the Commonwealth, the City of Boston, and neighboring municipalities establish a coordinated planning process that focuses on the “legacy impacts” of the Games – the long-term, regional benefits that will last beyond 2024.

The report was issued jointly by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance (MSGA), and Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA).

“We have to put legacy first,” said Marc Draisen, Executive Director of MAPC, whose staff were the prime authors of the report. “It’s not just about writing a winning bid and making the Games a success; it’s about making sure our region ends up with more affordable homes, better jobs, beautiful parks, and a 21st century transportation system. These things won’t just happen by themselves. We have to leverage the Olympic bid to make them happen, and the sooner the better.”

The report’s prime recommendation is for the Commonwealth to establish an Olympic Planning Commission to oversee public planning around the Games and to ensure the Boston region and Massachusetts benefit from the new development and infrastructure that hosting the Olympics could bring. The Commission would coordinate the public planning process, recommend amendments to the bid, identify critical infrastructure upgrades, and help to develop legacy plans for the venue sites, among other powers and responsibilities. The report calls upon the Commission to “maximize public input and participation with a special focus on under-represented groups,” and to make the planning process “regional, transparent, and inclusive.” The Commission would also evaluate the impacts of the Games and post-Olympic development, and suggest concrete ways to minimize or mitigate negative impacts.