From ghost town to success story: The legacy of Vancouver's Olympic Village, 10 years on
After years of controversy, Vancouver's Olympic Village neighbourhood is thriving
Jesse Johnston · CBC News · Posted: Feb 17, 2020
At approximately 50 times the size of live sparrows, "The Birds" at Olympic Village in Vancouver are a much-loved attraction. (Stephanie Mercier/CBC)
Before Vancouver's Olympic Village became what it's now widely considered — a pretty but expensive place to live, work and hang out — it was the subject of heated debates.
Was it a ghost town? A shining achievement in civic planning? A financial disaster? A pinata for politicians to smack whenever they felt like poking the opposition?
All of the above?
Visit the village today, especially when it's sunny and the waterfront is clogged with parents pushing strollers, and it's easy to forget that this neighbourhood was once full of controversy and empty of people.
Local planner, developer and architect Michael Geller remembers when businesses delayed opening after the 2010 Olympics because there weren't enough people living in the area to support them.
"We suddenly had literally hundreds of empty units sitting there, hence the ghost town image," he said.
"There was nowhere for someone just to have a coffee."
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/olympic-village-10-year-anniversary-1.5465157