Games eroding Beijing’s historic face

Rosie DiManno’s article provides an ominous warning as to how the Olympics can negatively impact a host city.

As it prepares for the 2010 Games, Vancouver would be wise to learn from Beijing’s mistakes. So far, however, it appears intent on repeating them: long-time residents of historic neighbourhoods continue to be displaced by prohibitively expensive housing developments.

The Vancouver Olympic Committee states that it will deliver an “extraordinary … experience with lasting legacies.”

Judging by this account of inner-city Beijing, the Olympic legacy is likely to leave Vancouver an exclusive haven for the super-rich.

How terribly ironic for an event that lists “Social Inclusion and Responsibility” as one of its primary tenets.