nprradiopictures:

Jon Pack and Gary Hustwit are always a little late to the games. That is: They’re interested in the Olympics, but only years after they end. So when I asked if they’ll be going to Rio de Janeiro in 2016, they demurred, saying something along the lines of, “Maybe someday.”

“We’re not for or against the Olympics,” says Hustwit. “We wanted to see how all of this development has been integrated into the cities — or not. And to look at the idea of planning … for the legacy of these facilities.”

It’s a natural extension of Hustwit’s unofficial beat; he produced and directed the documentaries Helvetica and Urbanized — about how typography and urban planning inform our daily lives.

But it was Pack who first started exploring this idea in 2008. He was intrigued by the price tag of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“After it was over I still couldn’t wrap my head around it, and so I tried to see if there was a project there,” he says.

What Happens To An Olympic City After The Olympics?

Photo Credit: Olympic City project/Courtesy of Jon Pack and Gary Hustwit