Sochi is 'Like the Florida of Russia, but cheaper,' a Russian lady in the U.S. told us. You have to imagine an old, once glorious bathing and curing town filled with 'Palaces for the Proletariat' where the decline of Communism and the wild 1990s have taken their toll. You have to imagine tourist brochures filled with palm trees and glorious beaches, while in fact you'll be lying down on pebbles against a concrete wall with modern high rises behind you.
It can be a fun city though; it's rowdy and it's loud.
Some $50 billion has been invested in the city (maybe $25 billion if you consider all the corruption involved). A new airport has been built (the original was more like a bus stop), a new freight harbor, an entire skiing area with huge olympic villages have been built, a new area around the stadiums where Formula 1 and the World Cup will take place. These are huge investments for a city this size. But in most parts of Sochi you won't notice it that much beyond the increase in traffic. The Games are quite an isolated event at the edge of the city.
A huge issue for locals has been lack of housing since the 1970s and the sense of anarchy in the city. Many people lived in housing built without residential permits. Houses, hotels and office buildings– all officially non-existing – had to be removed to build the Games, which caused a lot of drama.
Read more: 'Like the Florida of Russia, but Cheaper' - Mark Byrnes - The Atlantic Cities
It can be a fun city though; it's rowdy and it's loud.
Some $50 billion has been invested in the city (maybe $25 billion if you consider all the corruption involved). A new airport has been built (the original was more like a bus stop), a new freight harbor, an entire skiing area with huge olympic villages have been built, a new area around the stadiums where Formula 1 and the World Cup will take place. These are huge investments for a city this size. But in most parts of Sochi you won't notice it that much beyond the increase in traffic. The Games are quite an isolated event at the edge of the city.
A huge issue for locals has been lack of housing since the 1970s and the sense of anarchy in the city. Many people lived in housing built without residential permits. Houses, hotels and office buildings– all officially non-existing – had to be removed to build the Games, which caused a lot of drama.
Read more: 'Like the Florida of Russia, but Cheaper' - Mark Byrnes - The Atlantic Cities
No comments:
Post a Comment