Monday, November 10, 2014
Future Olympics
In light of our project proposals, I've been thinking a lot about the implications of brining the Olympics back to the Adirondack area. While I feel this class has somewhat trained me to scoff at this idea, a more pragmatic side of me, and also one who would love the Olympics so close, thinks this may not be such a terrible idea. The paradox of the Adirondacks is never ending, especially in the battles to save nature where humanity is allowed to inhabit. It creates an extremely vague line about what acceptable settlement or recreation is since anything of this kind at all is no longer natural. This being said, in order for there to be this intermingling of public and private there needs to be some forms of industry to sustain the population and the area. As far as I can tell, the industry the exploits the land and its resources the least is tourism. Now I'm not saying it does not exploit the land at all because for obvious reasons there is a need to build and clear for infrastructures etc. The Olympics, while it may seem hard to imagine in this setting, could be a great help to the economy of the park. There is money needed to keep these areas open to the public for free while being guided and maintained. I know I may get backlash for this idea but I think its a bit unrealistic to stay on the other end of the spectrum.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is a very interesting point of view. I also think there are many benefits of having the Olympics in the Adirondacks again. It brings so much global attention to the region and would be great for tourism and the economy. However, as a selfish local New Yorker it is also nice to keep the rest of the Adirondacks as a hidden gem. As we discussed in class, Lake Placid is very crowded and I would hate to see the rest of the wildness of the Adirondacks destroyed by too many people.
ReplyDeleteI'm torn on this. On the one hand, it would be super exciting to have the Olympics in the Adirondacks. On the other hand, it might be destructive and would certainly require new construction. I'm also not sure if it is even feasible. I could be mistaken, but I would think that Olympic popularity and attendance has continued to grow since 1980, and I have a hard time believing that the Adirondacks could even accommodate so many people. Furthermore, traffic would be an issue since public transportation is so limited in the Adirondacks.
ReplyDeleteThe Olympics would be an amazing attraction that would bring a lot of money in the park. However, I agree that the traffic and influx of people would be damaging to the park. I also worry that people who are not "true Adirondackers" coming to experience the wilderness may cause damage by littering or not paying attention and hitting deer in the roads.
ReplyDelete