New York Olympics didn’t happen, but public projects did

People took in the view over West 20th Street on the High Line.Stan Honda/AFP/Getty

New York City’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games was unsuccessful, but many of the development initiatives that NYC2012 adopted — and in some cases originated — came to fruition nevertheless.

High Line

This old freight rail line was going to be demolished, but it got a new life because of the Bloomberg administration and the Olympic bid. The city supported preserving the elevated line as a nearly 1.5-mile-long pedestrian park, and it has become one of the most popular destinations in the city, for tourists and New Yorkers alike.

Pedestrians strolled on the High Line.Kathy Willens/AP

Stadium on Demand

When a proposed stadium on the far West Side fell through, right before the International Olympic Committee vote, local officials within days came up with another plan, complete with financing, for a new baseball stadium for the Mets.

A giant American flag is unfurled on opening day at Citi Field in 2014.John Minchillo/AP/Associated Press

Hudson Yards

Rezoning of this old rail yard remained in place, drawing investors to help build out a new neighborhood on the far West Side. The area will be served by the first subway extension New York has built in half a century.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg peered through a window of a subway train as he arrived for a news conference on the platform to discuss the extension of the line.Mark Lennihan/AP

Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect photo of Citi Field, home of the Mets.