Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

This Is What Chicago Would Look Like If We Got The Olympics

By  Tanveer Ali and Sam Cholke | July 8, 2016 5:46am | Updated on August 5, 2016 3:54pm

CHICAGO — The sporting world's eyes are firmly fixed on Rio de Janeiro this month as the city scrambles to get its act together in time to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

It could have been us, of course, getting all the panicked headlines, the daily construction updates, the security scares and the pundits' predictions of failure.

As Rio begins its countdown to all the foreseeable storylines (Will Usain Bolt run? Is Michael Phelps any good? Can Missy Franklin do it again?) and all of the unknown heroes waiting to be discovered, DNAinfo gazed back at what might have been.

Sam Cholke on Chicago's failed Olympic bid.

We dug up all the old renderings of the fantastic, colorful stadiums and courses planned for Chicago's neighborhoods. The promotional videos from Michael Jordan and Barack Obama. The promises. The hype.

Check out our comprehensive interactive to see the plan, the videos, the timeline. Click on the rings to go deep into the specific plans for the city's neighborhoods.

There's the huge but temporary stadium in Washington Park. The nearby swimming pool. The glass city in Bronzeville to house the athletes — and after that, regular Chicagoans. The kayaking center on Northerly Island. The BMX course in Douglas Park. White water rapids.

And then there's traffic. The Olympic planners wanted all visitors to take public transportation to sporting events around the city. At the same time, lanes on Chicago's expressways and major Downtown streets would have been cut off from local traffic and used exclusively for Olympics matters. On Lake Shore Drive, two lanes in both directions would've been designated for Olympics use only.

Chicago would have been a far different place this summer. Take a peek at just how different. 

RELATED: Chicago's 2016 Olympics: What It Meant And Why It Didn't Happen

LAUNCH: A Look Back At The Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: