New York is exploring a joint bid between New York City and Lake Placid to host a future Winter Olympics.

Proponents argue the bid could unite the culturally and geographically divided upstate and downstate regions.

Most of the necessary infrastructure and venues already exist in both locations from past investments.

A successful bid could boost tourism and introduce diverse populations to winter sports.

The earliest potential year for New York to host would be 2042, requiring planning to begin soon.

Editor's note: This op-ed column was originally published by Empire Report.

Recently, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul took the first real step toward what could become the most meaningful civic project New York has attempted in a generation. Her administration launched an exploratory effort to study whether New York City and Lake Placid could jointly host a Winter Olympics.

While not a commitment to bid, it is a bold look at a serious question: whether the two ends of the state could stage a Winter Games that is financially successful and environmentally sustainable.

But the larger question is not whether New York can host the Olympics. It is whether New York still has the capacity to undertake a shared civic project at all.

Can New York really mount a massive civic project?

New York does not need the Olympics to reinvent its skyline or build a new generation of stadiums. Unlike many Olympic bids, this would not be a Games built on massive new construction, because most of the infrastructure already exists. The opportunity is not to build a new city, but to reconnect a divided........

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