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rfmcdonaldPeople and governments relating to New York City's failed bid and London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics all represented the bids as ways to demonstrate their successes, asa catalyst for change. (It worked for Barcelona back in 1992, didn't it?)
Beijing's coming out arguably differs from the bids of First (and Second) world cities in that it's a demonstration of the successes of Bejing, and of China, in becoming world-class. This has been a common theme with other middle-income countries. The South Korean government wanted to position Seoul as a modern world-class city, similarly Mexico with Mexico City through the 1968 Summer Olympics, similarly Yugoslavia with Sarajevo for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Winter_Olympics</a>. All this leaves me curious about one thing. Will China follow South Korea's effortless growth trajectory, Mexico's relative stagnation, or the catastrophes of Sarajevo.
Beijing's coming out arguably differs from the bids of First (and Second) world cities in that it's a demonstration of the successes of Bejing, and of China, in becoming world-class. This has been a common theme with other middle-income countries. The South Korean government wanted to position Seoul as a modern world-class city, similarly Mexico with Mexico City through the 1968 Summer Olympics, similarly Yugoslavia with Sarajevo for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Winter_Olympics</a>. All this leaves me curious about one thing. Will China follow South Korea's effortless growth trajectory, Mexico's relative stagnation, or the catastrophes of Sarajevo.
