Answer from Sydney chewer
To answer your question Subo...
Construction:
Contruction work around the city did slow down post-Olympics. Then it plateaued for a couple of years. Now it's booming again- our architecture firm is flat out, so it must be an indication. But the risk is high rise residential towers are still being built, to the point of saturation, the supply is greater than the demand.
The City:
The whole of Sydney was given a makeover prior to the games and it still looks as sexy as ever. That is a bonus. But with our harbour you can never go wrong. We got wider pavements, lush landscaped public squares. The social scene is still vibrant and the number of bars & restaurants is massive, so the competition has always been fierce. Eating out cost a fortune during the games, but now it's all back to normal.
The Venues:
Olympic Park is undergoing further redevelopment to create new residential zones in addition to the athletes village which became a residential precinct post-games. The area is huge, still with very little infrastructure - a white elephant in that regard. But it will get there. The stadium and other venues are still used frequently, but some are not suitable for events like concerts due to poor acoustics, ie: trying to be used for something that doesn't suit their function.
Transport
Honestly, it was at its best for those 2 weeks of the Olympics. It was school holidays so no kids were hogging trains & buses, & driving in the city during peak hours was a breeze. After it was all over, the delays and cancellations resumed again.
Tourism:
Definitely dropped post games but moreso post 9/11.
What else:
We missed the volunteers post-games. Their friendly faces were replaced with surly commuters.
The homeless who were hidden away in shelters during the 2 weeks were thrown back out on the streets again.
I think overall Sydney has not suffered but rather benefitted from hosting the games.
