Initially put together by deputy mayor Dan Doctoroff and urban planner Alex Garvin, the X-Plan was originally a transportation-driven concept: the idea was that the athletes would travel by high speed rail along the east-west axis from Queens to New Jersey and in high-speed ferries along the north-south axis.  That plan was scrapped, however, when the city received feedback from coaches and sports federation leaders that such travel methods could potentially distract the athletes. Should New York winthe 2012 bid, athletes will be shuttled in buses directly from the Olympic Village to the venues.

The X-Plan has since evolved into a driving concept for New York’s entire Olympic bid.  All of the venues would be clustered on that X, from Yankee Stadium to Madison Square Garden to the Olympic Handball Arena in Long Island.

One of the biggest liabilities New York needed to resolve in order to be seriously considered by the IOC election committee was the controversy surrounding the building of a stadium on Manhattan’s west side.  With MTA’s recent approval of the Jets bid for such a stadium, things are looking up.  NYC2012 Operations Director Andrew Kimball feels that New York’s bid is picking up ever-increasing momentum.  “It’s not just a football stadium,” he said of the 80-000-seat complex, but a multiuse facility that could be used down the road to host huge conventions that no sites in New York can currently support. 

Having the Olympics in New York would spur on massive urban transformation all across the city, from the redevelopment of Manhattan’s west side to the building of a 21-acre park on the Williamsburg waterfront, where the beach volleyball and swimming competitions would be held.  Kimball said that the IOC is especially drawn to bids that will incite such major transformation in a city: “They want to know that the Olympic movement is going to leave a legacy.”

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