During Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, the city partnered with local companies to develop a comprehensive plan that would update the city’s infrastructure. Although the city dropped the unpopular bid, there were some aspects of the proposed plan that residents still want to see moved to fruition including job creation, construction and tourism stimulus.
One of the biggest challenges Boston’s bid faced was the lack of sound infrastructure to support the games. This past winter’s historic snowfall exposed significant problems with the MBTA and public transit throughout the region. In addition, Boston’s housing, highways, roads and bridges were shown to be not robust enough to meet the needs for the Olympics. While Boston is no longer in the running for the Olympics, the city can’t ignore these problems when looking at plans for the future.
Although the bid would have pressed the city to make these necessary updates, the area has already seen many changes in recent years including the revitalization of the Seaport, Assembly Square and Downtown Crossing. Public and private companies should build on this momentum by partnering not only to continue updating the existing infrastructure, but to meet sustainability and safety goals for a “smarter” city. This would further position the city as a leader in renewable energy and establish it as a trailblazer in public safety and city infrastructure, which are both goals well within Boston’s capability. In addition, the need for new and improved structures, security and transportation would bring countless jobs to the Boston area.
To show its commitment to creating jobs, the Boston 2024 effort presented significant opportunities for skills training, apprenticeships, internships and jobs for those living and working in the Commonwealth. According to Boston 2024, the coalition was “working to provide job training and job placement support to local people with workforce targets at 25% of people from the local boroughs, 10% previously unemployed, 25% from racial minority groups, 5% women, and 3% disabled.” By partnering with relevant organizations, the city can still reach these targets in order to ensure that these same demographics have employment options in the years to come. In addition, the city should place an emphasis on finding long-term employment options rather than temporary jobs as the Olympics boasted.
The city might never see the number of tourists that would have come with an Olympics, but there are many projects in the works that will inevitably drive up the number of visitors to Boston. In addition to long-standing traditions and history that attract people to the city each year, the region also has plans for a casino that will help drive visitors to the area. The city’s academic and life science institutions also attract an increasing number of students and researchers each year, which will likely continue to grow. Finally, the emphasis the city has placed on development will not only increase tourism, but also boost economic development.
Boston has a lot to be proud of and look forward to in the coming years. We must continue with the momentum the potential of an Olympics created in order to improve infrastructure and create jobs in the years to come.
